


Carbon Copy | Klaus Mikaelson

by kl4uss



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-26 12:44:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14402397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kl4uss/pseuds/kl4uss
Summary: The seventeen year old girl, Brianna, always thought she was a Gilbert. But what happens when her parents dies in a car accident and she finds out that was far from the truth. Brianna soon becomes headstrong on finding who she truly is and travels to New Orleans, Louisiana with a letter from her parents. Does Brianna find out who she is and who her biological family are? What happens when she's comes back to Mystic Falls and learns the existence of vampires? Or does Brianna already know about the creatures that come out at night? What if Brianna is one of the creatures adults always told you to be afraid of?





	1. NEW STORY!

_The seventeen year old girl,[Brianna,](https://imgur.com/OIIPAcx) always thought she was a Gilbert._

_But what happens when her parents dies in a car accident and she finds_

_out_ _that was far from the truth. Brianna soon becomes headstrong on_

_finding who_ _she truly is and travels to New Orleans, Louisiana with a_

_letter from her parents._ _Does Brianna find out who she is and who her_

_biological family are? What happens when_ _she's comes back to Mystic_

_Falls_ _and learns the existence of vampires? Or does Brianna_ _already_

_know about the_ _creatures that come out at night? What if Brianna is one_

_of the_ _creatures_ _adults_ _always_ _told you to be afraid of?_

_***_

I will probably change the description of this story, but I just wanted to write out an idea I had

xoxo


	2. CHAPTER 1

In the middle of summer, the burning sun was shining brightly in the clear sky on one of the worst days the small town of Mystic Falls have ever experienced. The usually happy residents were dressed nicely in black suits and dresses as they all sat so closely together that their knees were touching in the only church that the town had to mourn the lives of Miranda and Grayson Gilbert.

The aforementioned deceased's oldest child, Brianna, was currently standing in front of everyone that she had grown up with along with the people that had watched her grow as her fingers squeezed the sides of the wooden podium.

The small gray Cathedral was filled with small whispers and sobs as Brianna focused her hazel eyes on the scrunched up piece of paper in front of her. She could feel the pressure of everyone's attention on her, which made her even more nervous than she already was. However, Brianna knew she had to do this. She needed to say goodbye to her parents.

Brianna took a deep breath before she looked out to the crowd as she moved her nude colored lips closer to the small microphone and began to speak to the residents of Mystic Falls, "good evening and thank you for being here today. As you may all know, my name is Brianna Gilbert, and on the night of May twenty-third, the life of my parents, Miranda and Grayson, was taken too early. I would like to take this opportunity as their oldest child out of three to help everyone celebrate their great lives like they would have wanted instead for us to be saddened by their early departure."

Brianna cleared her throat as she ringed her hands together with the nervous tick she had picked up at the age of twelve before she continued her speech, "family was everything for them. A mantra my parents would always use was, ' _family doesn't end in blood, it just starts with it.'_ Miranda, my mother, would always tell my siblings and I that this town is our family. Every single one of you. How my mother described it was by using medical terminology." Brianna shook her head and commented with a chuckle, "I think my father got her hooked on medicine since he would always bring his work home." 

A small laughter sounded through the church before Brianna continued once it grew silent again, "my mother would say that the center of city hall, where every important thing happens, is the heart of our family and everyone who contributes," Brianna pointed towards the audience as she added, "the residents of Mystic Falls are the blood that pumps the organ to keep it living."

Brianna glanced over at the two black caskets as everyone soaked in her words. She focused on the one to the left that had a purple outline before she continued mournfully, "Miranda Gilbert. My mother. My best friend. My personal cheerleader. My confidant." Brianna looked back to the residents of Mystic Falls as she stated, "or the woman you all knew her as the caring, sweet, kind hearted, hard working person, and the director of Mystic Falls Foundation."

Brianna pushed a portion of her long brown hair behind her left ear as she recalled, "the one memory that I will always carry with me about my mother is how she made it a rule in the Gilbert house that we all had to cook dinner with each other every single night." Brianna wiped a loose tear from her right eye as she chuckled, "but the thing was, my mother couldn't cook to save her life." The brunette girl shook her head as she glanced over to her crying sister as she continued, "I remember one time, she tried to make Thanksgiving dinner because my sister, Elena, and I saw this beautiful dinner on some sitcom show on TV." A small smile rose to her nude lips as Brianna explained, "let's just say, we went to the Grill for dinner that night while the smoke cleared out of our house."

There was an even louder sound of laughter that ran through the small building as everyone could picture the beautiful and carefree Miranda running around the Gilbert house with a burnt turkey in her hands as Grayson and their children laughed. It was just something the residents of Mystic Falls could just picture as that was the type of woman she was, someone that wished to make her children happy and someone that cherished life to the fullest.

"My mother would always say when my siblings and I would ask her why she made us go through all the trouble of cooking is that, ' _it doesn't matter if we ruin all the food in the house and have to pick up take out or only eat a peanut butter sandwich, it was all about the moments we got to spend with each other.'_ And I think she was right, because every time I close my eyes now, I can see her sitting next to my father with a wine glass in hand while my sister and I dance to the classic, Frank Sinatra and how we would always try to make our brother dance with us. It was just all about the memories we spent in our kitchen that mattered in the end."

"Even when it was just small memories, I can still look back and see they all came back to one word, family," Brianna added before she glanced over to the black casket with the blue edges. "Like my father, Grayson," Brianna began as she moved to talk about her father, "it was the small things he did for me that meant the most. As you all may know, my father was a busy doctor in town, so he couldn't always be there for us. But the moments that made the biggest impact on my life was the small ones. For example, the times he would show up to my soccer games in his lab coat, or the small homemade chocolate cakes him and I would make on a long day."

Brianna closed her eyes briefly with a soft smile on her face before she recalled, "there is one memory of my father I can always picture that seems unimportant but is really big for me." Brianna ringed her hands together as she began to explain, "it starts with this tradition we all had. Every Saturday, my father would wake my siblings and I up at the crack of dawn on his day off and we would all go down to Virginia Beach, where we would spend all day and night together. Those days were always filled with laughter, jokes, playing around, and just spending time with each other. But there is one time that I will always remember out of all of the Saturdays we were at the beach. It was the weekend before freshmen year."

Brianna took a deep breath before she continued, "I was so nervous to be starting high school. I had tryouts for the soccer team and I was taking multiple AP classes. Plus, I had this one thought that I was going to fail horribly at everything." Brianna chuckled as she stated, "I told everyone that whole summer that I was going to get kicked out of school because of how bad I was going to do."

Brianna listened to the laughter that fell through the church once again before she continued, "but as it got dark that night at the beach, my father sat me down by the small fire we made and told me the story of how he became a doctor. My father explained how he failed his big medical test five times before he decided to quit and go into a different career. But when he tried to find a job elsewhere, his father told him something that stuck with me, _'those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.'_ My father then told me how he finally accepted his past failures and pushed himself even harder, and so, the very next time he took the medical test, he aced it with flying colors."

Brianna glanced down at her fingernail polish that was red and black with small flames as she tried to get control of her shaky breath. Once she felt calm enough, Brianna continued her speech with a chuckle as she recalled, "I remember coming home from school that Monday afternoon with tears in my eyes, because not only did I get a spot on the soccer team, but I was put on the varsity team." Brianna shook her head as she stated, "my father was so proud of me that day." The brunette girl glanced back to her father's casket and uttered like she was only talking to him, "I promise, I will always believe in myself because of you and for you."

Brianna quickly wiped the fast tears away from her face as she cleared her throat. "In final, I would just like to thank my parents for giving me a good life that taught me so many things. You will always be in my heart and I hope I will do you justice as I continue in your name," Brianna uttered as she was speaking to her parents for the last time before she focused back on the smiling and crying audience, "and on my parents behalf, I would like to thank you all for celebrating their lives. I know they would want us to move forward and help keep our large family going. Miranda and Grayson Gilbert were the heart of this town, so we have to keep going for them. So in closing, I would like to leave with this final word, this isn't a goodbye. This is only a see you later."

Brianna gave the residents of Mystic Falls a small smile as she bowed her head and whispered, "thank you," before she quickly walked away from the wooden podium and took a seat next to her sister. The brunette girl grabbed a hold of Elena's hand as she laid her head on her sister's shoulder while the priest spoke. Brianna didn't even know how she got through her speech. But she was glad that she did. Brianna knew she needed to say goodbye to the two people that raised and loved her or it would be more difficult later on.

The oldest Gilbert felt like everything was going in super speed once she had sat down and got lost in her thoughts. It was like every time she blinked, something else happened. Brianna only remembered the end of the prayer the priest recited in the memory of her parents before she was standing underneath an umbrella with her sister and brother while they lowered their parents into the ground. The next time Brianna had finally got control of her senses and out of her dream-like trance was when she felt a hard tap on her shoulder.

"Miss Gilbert?" The unknown man with the curly blonde hair questioned as he stood in front of Brianna with his brows furrowed.

Brianna didn't even know how long the man had been standing there until she finally heard him. She guessed it was a while since the guy looked like he was about to call for help from the worried expression he was sporting. The brunette girl quickly placed a polite fake smile on her face before she greeted the man, "yes?"

The man gave the mourning girl a soft smile before he opened his black brief case and pulled out a simple large white envelope. "My name is Christopher Stevens," he introduced himself before he added, "I was your parent's lawyer." The man, Christopher, held the envelope out to Brianna as he stated gently, "they wanted me to give you this if their death was to happen."

Brianna's hazel eyes furrowed deeply as she reached out for the envelope. Once she had the package in her possession, Brianna ran her shaking fingers across the familiar cursive that belonged to her mother that read in perfect writing, _'My sweet, Bri.'_ The brunette girl looked up at the lawyer after a moment before she nodded her head and mumbled, "thanks."

Christopher gently placed his hand onto the young girl's shoulder as he gave her his condolences, "I am so sorry for your lost. They were good people." He then gave Brianna one last smile before he walked away from her without another word.

Brianna didn't bother saying anything to the lawyer as her eyes kept going back to the envelope that was settled in her shaky hands. The brunette girl couldn't believe that whatever was inside the envelope, was the last thing her parents would ever say to her. Brianna didn't even know she could read it right now as her emotions were all over the place. However, that choice was quickly made for her when Elena came walking up to her and questioned, "hey, what's that?"

Brianna swiftly looked up with her hazel eyes widened before she quickly controlled herself and slipped the envelope into her black purse. She shook her head as she lied to her sister with a tiny smile, "it's nothing, just a letter from the church." Brianna didn't know if she was going to tell Elena about the letter from their parents.  _Maybe she got her own,_ Brianna thought. The brunette girl decided she was going to read it first before she told anyone about it. She thought that was the best idea at the moment. 

Elena nodded her head in understanding before she linked her arm with her sister's and began to pull her away from their parent's buried caskets as she told Brianna, "everyone's leaving for the Grill. But I told Jenna we should just go home."

"Oh, thank God," Brianna sighed in relief. She didn't know just how much more people she could deal with in one day. It was just a lot to handle, especially when she had just said goodbye to her parents for the last time.

"I figured that would be your reaction," Elena stated with a small chuckle before the two sisters silently headed towards their aunt Jenna's red car, where they saw the aforementioned strawberry blonde and their sad younger brother.

Brianna released her sister's arm once they were standing in front of the red Honda and walked over to her brother. She gave Jeremy a soft smile before she pulled him into a tight hug. Brianna could only imagine how her brother was feeling when he's younger than her and Elena, so it must be harder for him. Brianna ruffled up her brother's brown hair once she pulled away with a tiny smirk and enjoyed the small smile she got in return. She was glad to see that her brother was showing another emotion besides grief as she didn't want him to fall into a dark hole because of their parent's death. 

Brianna squeezed her brother's shoulder after a silent moment and muttered, "let's go home," before she opened the backseat of her aunt's red car. Brianna knew it was going to be hard for all of them as they have never lost anyone in their entire life. She honestly didn't know how they were going to move on as she still kept having trouble processing that their parents wasn't going to be smiling at her tomorrow morning. But the one thing Brianna knew for sure as she settled into her aunt's car, was that she just wanted to shut her mind off for once and sleep in for a couple of days.

* * *

The three Gilbert siblings silently walked into their empty house with their new legal guardian, their aunt Jenna, once they had returned from Mystic Falls Cemetery. The rain was still pounding hard as they all shook off the excess water and slipped out of their wet shoes. The Gilbert house felt too quiet for every single person that walked through the door. It was like something was missing. But they all knew exactly what it was. It was their parents or in Jenna's case, her sister and brother-in-law that was missing.

Brianna hated the silence as it was slowly driving her insane. That was one thing she haven't been able to get use to over the last couple of months. Brianna was always use to the loud chatter of her father talking about some new medical case or research and her mother complaining about burning another meal. But now it was just too quiet. "I'm going to change out of the these clothes," Brianna told her family as she needed out of the gloomy and silent living room. 

However, the only response Brianna got out of her family was, of course, more silence along with their heads nodding at her. The brunette girl sighed loudly before she trotted up the wooden staircase with the only sound of her bare feet pattering against the steps.

Once Brianna made her way into the first bedroom on the right side of the hallway, she closed the door behind her before making a beeline towards her radio. She turned the volume all the way up before she heard the music of Thirty Seconds to Mars that stopped the uncomfortable silence she hated. Brianna sighed in relief when there was actual noise playing through the quiet and mournful house.

The Gilbert girl then threw her black purse onto her queen sized bed before she switched out of her wet clothes for a pair of black Nike running shorts and a thick red sweater along with a pair of red knee high socks and swiftly threw her long brown hair into a messy bun. 

Brianna moved back over to her bed once she was comfortable and laid across her lilac comforter as she squeezed her eyes shut. The brunette girl felt like she could throw up at any second. It was like the whole experience at the church and at the burial sight didn't even happen. Brianna felt like she had an out of body experience. She remembered everything that happened but she wasn't actually there. She was only just going through the motions. 

Brianna wiped the tears from her hazel eyes before she went to roll her body into a ball, but was soon stopped when she felt her purse in the way. The Gilbert girl swiftly remembered what was inside, so she quickly jumped up and grabbed the bag. Brianna's shaky fingers then opened it up and pulled out the big envelope. 

Brianna took a deep breath before she carefully unsealed the envelope and noticed that there was two folded papers inside. One was very small, like something you would write a grocery list on and the other one was like any other paper you would buy at any store. Brianna decided she would go with the larger paper first. So, the brunette girl took another deep breath before she began to read as her hazel eyes glazed over at the very first sentence that held her childhood nickname ~

         _Our sweet girl,_

_If you are reading this letter, then it means we have passed on. But just know, our sweet baby girl, we are so proud of the smart, brave, and strong young woman you have become in the last seventeen years. It has been an honor to be able to raise and love you._

_We wished we could have told you this when you were older like we planned, but we wrote this just encase we didn't get the chance. What we are about to tell you, it might be hard for you to understand but just know we have loved you like our very own._

_Our strong warrior girl, seventeen years ago, we received you from a man as at the time we couldn't bare children. You were our little angel sent from the heavens. I know it must be difficult for you to absorb this information right now on a day like this, but we don't want you to never know where you came from. We would never want to take that away from you._

_You may have noticed, there was two papers in this envelope from Christopher, and the other letter holds the only information about where you came from. But in longer terms, you were born from a family by the name of Labonair in New Orleans, Louisiana. We received you when you were only three months old. We don't know much but if you want to learn about where you came from, a man named Marcel in the French Quarter will be able answer the questions we could never answer._

_It will be your choice if you wish to look into your origin or to even tell Elena and Jeremy about your adoption. The only one that knows the truth is Jenna. Please, don't be upset with her. She kept a promise we wanted to keep. I know this is a lot to take in, but we hope you aren't hurt or upset, our sweet girl. We just wanted you to have the best life we could give you. Our warrior girl, no matter how you feel about this information, you will always be Brianna Bellatrix Gilbert, our very first child._

_We love you so much, Brianna, and we are so proud of you. We will always be with you even when we are resting above. You will get through the feeling you are experiencing right now. It's going to hurt but you will keep on going like we know you will, our strong girl. Thank you for being the best child anyone could ever ask for._

_xoxo mom and dad_

Brianna gasped as warm tears streamed down her face and sobs left her sore body. She couldn't believe what she just read. Brianna would never have thought in a million of years that she would have been adopted. It just never crossed her mind. Brianna didn't even know what to think right now. It was like she didn't know who she was anymore. 

The brunette girl soon remembered the other letter, so she quickly grabbed a hold of it and opened the small paper. However, when Brianna looked it over, she instantly recognized the paper. It was the type her mother have used her entire life. It was from a small notebook that is still to this day sitting by the house phone. It's covered in pink and purple butterflies along with purple lines. Brianna couldn't remember a single day that she didn't see this type of paper as it was her mother's favorite.

Brianna focused on the writing on the paper and noticed it wasn't a letter like the last one but a short list. In the corner was her birth date; June 6, 1991, along with five things written on separate lines ~

**1\. Labonair**

**2\. New Orleans, Louisiana**

**3\. Andrea**

**4\. Marcel**

**5\. Crescent Moon**

Brianna furrowed her brows as the list was very weird. She knew her origin came from the Labonair family and that they were located in New Orleans, Louisiana - plus the guy that gave her way was named Marcel. Brianna guessed crescent moon had to do with her birthmark on her shoulder, but she didn't know why it was important nor did she recognize the name, Andrea. It made Brianna even more curious about her origin.

Brianna sat there in silence with only her music playing in the background as she continued to read over the list of words multiple times before she made up her mind and swiftly jumped up from her bed. She quickly jogged over to her small closet and bent down to pick up a large black bag before she began to throw random clothes inside. Once her bag was half way full, she jogged over to her wooden dresser and threw more shirts, shorts, pants, dresses, socks, panties, and anything else she could think of. 

Brianna decided she needed to know the truth. She needed to know who she really was. The brunette girl knew it wasn't a good idea to just run off, especially after her parent's funeral. But Brianna needed to figure herself out. Brianna just felt out of place here with knowing she was adopted and not actually a Gilbert. Even though her parents or adopted parents said she would always be apart of the family, but she couldn't do that if she didn't know who she was before this life in Mystic Falls.

Brianna tossed her laptop into the black bag along with her charger for the electronic device plus for her cell phone and a pair of boots, sneakers, and heels before she zipped up the bag. She then grabbed the two letters from her parents before she jogged her way down the stairs as fast as she could move. 

"Hey, did you get lost up the-" Elena began to ask her sister when she heard Brianna's fast footsteps coming down the stairs but froze when she saw the bag in her sister's hand. "Where are you going?" Elena quickly questioned in confusion. She didn't understand why her sister looked like she was leaving. Where did she have to go?

"I'm leaving," Brianna murmured as she placed her bag onto the ground and rushed towards the hallway closet. She then looked through all of the jackets before she found her leather one. Brianna swiftly grabbed the jacket and slipped it over her large red sweater and pushed the letters and her cell phone into the pockets as she couldn't go anywhere without the jacket her father bought her.

"Brianna? Elena? What's going on?" Jenna hollered as she walked out of the kitchen along with Jeremy when she heard the commotion from the two sisters. "Hey! Woah! Where are you going?" The strawberry blonde quickly asked when she noticed how fast Brianna was moving and the heavy bag on the floor.

"Louisiana," Brianna stated simply as she slipped on her velvet burgundy combat boots while she tried to focus on leaving. She just needed to get out of here. Brianna felt like she was suffocating in this house with all the lies and memories - from her now adopted parents. It was just too much.

"LOUIS- LOUISIANA!" Elena shouted in disbelief before she quickly ran after her sister, who was rushing towards the front door. "BRIANNA! ARE YOU EVEN THINKING STRAIGHT?" The brown eyed girl questioned in a shriek. Was her sister actually going crazy right now? Elena couldn't even comprehend what was going on as she never seen Brianna like this.

"Elena," Jenna whispered as she knew exactly what was going on with Brianna, "let her go." The strawberry blonde always feared of having this conversation. However, it seemed like her sister took care of it like she had promised years ago.

Elena swiftly twirled her head around and looked at her aunt in utter shock. "Are you serious?" She questioned before she ranted, "she's running off to another state! How can you be okay with that?"

Brianna stressfully ran her hand through her messy bun as she heard her sister's erratic voice before she finally turned around and faced her family. "I'm adopted," Brianna stated simply as she shrugged her shoulders. There was no other way for her to get around it. She knew her parents gave her the choice in telling them, but she needed them to let her go and this was the only way.

"W-What?" Elena stuttered in a whisper as she stared into her sister's sad hazel eyes. She then looked over at Jenna as she asked in a calmer voice, "is that true?"

Jenna silently nodded her head as she whispered right back, "it is."

"I'm going to find out who I am," Brianna explained to her family in a soft voice. That was the only thing she cared about. It was the only way she could ever move forward from this and live her life. She just needed to know.

Elena ran her hand through her long brown hair in distress as she shouted, "you know who you are!" Elena's brown eyes began to fill with tears as her voice turned into one filled with desperation, "you're a Gilbert and you're my sister!"

Brianna sighed softly when she saw the tears leave Elena's eyes. She slowly walked towards Elena and brought her into a tight hug as she cried into Brianna's red sweater. "You're my sister," Brianna told Elena as she assured her. Even though Brianna wasn't a Gilbert, Elena and Jeremy would always be her siblings. That was never going to change. "I have to go," Brianna whispered after a couple of minutes had passed between them.

"Don't go," Elena begged as she hugged Brianna tightly.

Brianna hugged Elena just as tight as she glanced over her sister's shoulder and looked into Jenna's sad eyes. The strawberry blonde nodded her head before she silently walked towards her nieces. She then grabbed a hold of Elena's shoulders and pulled her away from Brianna's grasp. 

Brianna then glanced over to her baby brother, who was standing to the right of her with his arms crossed. She slowly walked over to him and brought Jeremy into a tight hug. "I will always love you, Jer," Brianna whispered before she pulled away and looked at her family. "I'm sorry," she uttered before she grabbed her black bag from the ground and grabbed her car keys from the small glass bowl by the door.

Brianna looked back to her family for the last time and saw Elena crying in her aunt's chest and her brother watching with sadness in his brown eyes. "I'm sorry," Brianna whispered once more before she walked out of the house that had held her childhood.

Brianna hated doing this to Elena, Jeremy, and even Jenna. But she needed to find out who she really is. She just feels lost with knowing that she's adopted and that she doesn't even know if her biological family was still out there. Once Brianna tossed her bag into the backseat and started her car, she leaned her head against the steering wheel. She then wiped the tears from her hazel eyes before she looked at the Gilbert house for the last time as she backed out of the driveway.

The brunette girl then drove through the dark and silent Mystic Falls before she whispered to herself when she saw the familiar welcome sign, "goodbye." Brianna didn't know when or if she was even going to come back to the town she grew up in. The only thought Brianna knew was that she needed the truth and the only way she was going to get it was over sixteen hours away in the small town of New Orleans, Louisiana and her next destination.


	3. CHAPTER 2

Brianna peeked her head out of the rolled down window of her cherry red Mazda that she had gotten for her sixteenth birthday last year while she slowly drove through the new and unknown town of New Orleans. It took the brunette girl a little less than two days of sleeping in run-down motels on the side of highways and eating food out of vending machines before she finally arrived at her destination.

Brianna had decided when she was looking for a place to sleep on her first night away from Mystic Falls was to save as much money as she possibly could on her journey to finding herself. Even though Brianna had ten thousand dollars in her savings account from birthday and Christmas gifts along with the money she got from working at Mystic Grill and what she got from her parents, she still wanted to be cautious with her money as she didn't know how long she would be staying in New Orleans.

The brunette girl slowly cruised around the new town for a couple of minutes before she decided that she should pull over as she wasn't going to get any answers by just sitting in her car. So, Brianna followed her own advice a couple seconds later as she pulled into the next parking lot she saw, which happened to be in middle of the French Quarter, the place her parents told her about in their letters.

Brianna turned off the engine and grabbed her cell phone from one of the two cup holders in the middle of her car once she was parked before she slowly opened the door and stepped her red velvet combat boots onto the pavement of her birth town. The hazel eyed girl then reached into her black jeans once she was standing straight and pulled out the two letters that her parents left her before she began to scan the words. Brianna soon realized that the letters didn't specify where she could find this Marcel person nor a certain location.

Brianna huffed out a disappointed sigh as she shoved the letters back into her pocket before she began to look around her surroundings. The only place that piqued Brianna's interest at the moment was a bar called Rousseau's as the brunette girl realized she hadn't eaten anything since she had stopped a gas station in Birmingham, Alabama and picked up a breakfast sandwich and a black coffee. 

The brunette girl figured that the bar would have some type of food that would fill her empty stomach.  _Maybe luck will be on my side,_ Brianna thought while she walked across the street to the bar as she might find the answers that she's looking for inside of Rousseau's. 

Brianna pushed her cell phone into her leather jacket before she grabbed ahold of the wooden handle of the establishment and slowly pulled the heavy door open. The first thing Brianna sensed when she stepped foot inside was that it was very quiet. There was only an old man sitting at the far end of the long bar and a couple of people sitting at a table in the middle of the room as they looked like they just got off from work. The brunette girl didn't really know where she should sit, so she just took the first spot at the bar before she nervously began to tap her point finger against the smooth surface of the wooden counter.

"What can I get you?" An unfamiliar voice questioned the young girl after a couple of silent minutes had passed as the woman had just walked in from the kitchen after she heard the bell that signaled her to a new customer. 

Brianna jumped at the sudden voice as she was lost inside of her running thoughts about what she would find in the town that she didn't even hear anyone walk up to her. However, the brunette girl calmed her racing heart when she noticed a woman in her early twenties standing behind the bar. "Uh, hi," Brianna uttered awkwardly before she cleared her throat and wondered as there wasn't any menus around, "what do you recommend to eat here?"

The woman, Jane-Anne, ran a clean gray rag across the bar as she got rid of the whisky glass from the person who had left before she looked back up at the young girl when she heard her speak. "My sister is the chef and and she makes a mean shrimp gumbo," Jane-Anne responded as that was what mostly everyone orders when they came here. 

Brianna nodded her head as she folded her arms across her purple tank top and leather jacket before she told the brunette bartender, "I'll have one of those then." Brianna figured that the dish was her best choice as it would fill her up quickly and give her time to get some answers before the sun disappeared for the day and she had to find a place to sleep. 

Jane-Anne didn't bother saying anything to the young girl before she turned around and walked back into the kitchen to her sister and placed the order. She then walked out a moment later and went right back to her same spot in front of her unfamiliar customer. "Can I get you anything else?" Jane-Anne questioned as she boredly wiped off some crumbs from the bar.

"Vodka on the rocks," Brianna requested easily as she looked directly at the woman that she realized was named Jane-Anne once she had scanned the bar and caught the name tag on her black tank top. 

Jane-Anne rose one of her dark eyebrows at the young girl in disbelief before she told her, "I'm gonna need to see some I.D."

Brianna nodded her head before she stuck her hand into her leather jacket and pulled out her small leather wallet. She then pulled out the first card she saw which happened to be her fake I.D. "Here you go," Brianna exclaimed calmly as she handed the woman her identification card. Brianna was notorious for being able to buy alcohol when she wasn't at the legal age. She and Caroline, her close friend, were always the ones that got the alcohol for parties as they could talk their way into anything. 

Jane-Anne shook her head with a quiet chuckle as she stared down at the young girl's card. She knew without a single doubt that Brianna wasn't twenty-one as she looked a little bit younger than her sister, Sophie, and her sister had barely turned twenty-one last month. However, Jane-Anne handed the young girl her card back before she began to pour the clear liquid of vodka into a glass filled with ice as no one in New Orleans really cared about mundane things like ages and rules when they were in The Big Easy. That was one of the reasons why New Orleans was the party capital of Louisiana. 

"So, what are you doing in a town like this?" Jane-Anne questioned as she leaned her back against the counter that held all types of alcohol; ranging from different shades of colors. She had nothing better to do as the rush of customers wouldn't be coming in for another thirty minutes, so she might as well chat up the unfamiliar face.

Brianna took a small sip of her glass of vodka before she looked into Jane-Anne's brown eyes with a raised eyebrow. "Is it that obvious?" The brunette girl wondered curiously.

Jane-Anne shrugged her shoulders lightly before she explained to the young girl, "you don't have that look everyone else in N'Orleans does." The bartender then shook her head with a chuckle when she noticed the confused look on Brianna's face before she further explained, "you just have this innocent and curious look that everyone who's grown up here doesn't."

Brianna could guess how that would be true. She had never even been outside of Virginia, so everything was just so new to her. The brunette girl then took another sip of her vodka when Jane-Anne began to clean around her before a thought suddenly popped into Brianna's head.  _Maybe Jane-Anne could help,_ Brianna thought before she asked the aforementioned woman, "hey, you wouldn't happen to know anyone by the name of Marcel, would you?" However, when the woman didn't respond to her, Brianna nervously played with her red nails before she added as Jane-Anne was only staring at her, "I-I don't have a last name just that a man named Marcel stays here in the French Quarter."

Jane-Anne stood frozen in her spot when she heard the name of Marcel as she knew exactly who Brianna was talking about. The brunette bartender then squinted her brown eyes once she was out of her trance as she carefully studied the young girl. Jane-Anne didn't think Brianna would be someone to get involved with the likes of Marcel. But then again, random people don't just show up in New Orleans unless they are involved with one of the many supernatural beings that surround the city.

"There is only one Marcel around here," Jane-Anne told Brianna emotionlessly before she went back to focusing on cleaning the bar. However, as thoughts began to run freely through Jane-Anne's head, she couldn't help but want to warn the young girl about Marcel. She didn't want Brianna to get mixed into Marcel's games like everyone else does. "Brianna, I don't think you -" Jane-Anne had began to warn the young girl but was soon interrupted by the man of the hour.

"I think you're looking for me," the man with the buzzed dark hair announced as he pushed his way through the entrance of Rousseau's Bar with three smaller men following closely behind. The man walked directly up to the bar with a grin shining on his lips and looked directly at the young girl that his men had informed him about how she was asking about him before he held his hand out and introduced himself, "Marcel Gerard."

Brianna instantly twirled around in the red and silver stool when she heard the loud voice and noticed four men standing in front of her.The brunette girl then placed her small hand into the man's surprisingly cold hand as she also introduced herself, "Brianna Gilbert." 

Marcel's arm went limb once he released the young girl's hand along with his brown eyes slightly widened when he heard the name fall from the girl's mouth. Marcel knew he recognized her from somewhere. He remembered like it was just yesterday when he took two baby girls out of New Orleans with identical hazel eyes and handed the older one to a family in Virginia before taking the younger one to another family. Marcel didn't think he would see the young girl so soon as he thought the Gilbert family would have kept her adoption a secret like they told him years ago.

Marcel soon realized that he had been staring at the young girl he hadn't seen in seventeen years for too long, so he swiftly went back to his cocky self before he shot the annoyed Deveraux woman a glare and ordered, "bring Brianna's food once your sister is done taking her slow time." Marcel then looked back over to the young girl with a soft gaze before he uttered, "I think we should talk," as he knew that she was here for the truth about her biological family.

Brianna silently nodded her head before she grabbed her half full glass of vodka and gave Jane-Anne a quick and small smile. The brunette girl could tell there was tension between the two of them but knew it wasn't her place. Brianna then stood up from her stool and followed after Marcel as he took a seat at a small table in the corner of the bar, where no one was around except for the three guys that had came in with him.

Brianna took a seat across from Marcel before she pulled out the letters from her parents and stated, "you know who I am." It wasn't a question as the young girl could tell by the look that she kept seeing on Marcel's face. It was like he was remembering something.

Marcel reached across the table and gently opened up the two letters, where he instantly recognized the smaller one. He remembered watching Miranda Gilbert write down those small pieces of details when he had delivered Brianna to them. Marcel then looked back up at the young girl and explained, "I was the one that brought you to Miranda and Grayson."

Brianna's brows instantly furrowed in confusion as the man in front of her couldn't be older than twenty-five. If that was true then Marcel would have been eight years old at the time. Brianna shook her head as she voiced her thoughts, "that was over seventeen years ago. You were barely a child then."

Marcel nodded his head in agreement before he pointed his long finger down to the list on the purple and white paper. "This right here," he began as he pointed to the word that read 'Andrea,' "this is my grandmother's name. I was there when she gave you away." Marcel knew he couldn't tell Brianna the truth about how he hasn't aged in centuries, so he lied straight through his teeth. "My grandmother had my name written down in case she wasn't around anymore when you found out the truth," Marcel added as he piled up the lies.

"Oh," Brianna mumbled as she looked down at the familiar writing that belonged to her mother, "that makes sense." She then looked back up at Marcel and whispered sadly, "my parents passed away a couple of days ago. That's how I found out about all this."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Marcel uttered softly as he knew exactly what it was like to lose someone he loved. He then cleared his throat as he pushed his past to the back of his mind before he explained, "my grandmother gave Miranda this list the day you arrived in Mystic Falls in case they ever told you the truth and you wanted to know more."

"Well, can you?" Brianna questioned as she nervously played with her fingers on top of the table. "Can you tell me more?" She clarified once she had taken a heavy gulp of vodka to calm her jittery nerves about what she would soon find.

Marcel nodded his head before he stated to keep up his lie, "my grandmother told me about your life before she passed." However, before the man could continue to explain Brianna's origin, they were soon interrupted by a set of loud footsteps coming straight towards them. Marcel silently watched Jane-Anne place the light blue bowl of gumbo in front of the young girl. Marcel then gave Jane-Anne a grin when she shot him a hard glare before he amusingly uttered as he pointed his head towards the bar, "I think you have a customer waiting for you."

Jane-Anne rolled her brown eyes at the man she hated before she shot Brianna a concerned look. The bartender was worried about what Marcel was doing with the young girl but knew she couldn't say anything unless she wanted to end up dead on the streets. Instead, Jane-Anne quickly turned around and walked over to one of her regular customers that was looking for his alcoholic fix while she hoped Marcel didn't pull Brianna into his spiderweb of trouble.

"Sophie's gumbo is the best in all of Louisiana," Marcel told the young girl when he noticed she was busy looking over at Jane-Anne with her brows furrowed. Marcel didn't want Brianna getting involved into the problems that come with New Orleans. He just wanted to tell her everything she needed to know about herself and her family before getting her out as he made a promise to her biological parents to protect her from this side of her life.

Brianna nodded her head and gave Marcel a small smile as she pushed the problem with the man and Jane-Anne to the back of her mind. It was none of her business, anyways. Brianna then finally looked down at the food she had been craving and sighed happily. The shrimp gumbo smelled and looked extremely delicious, so Brianna quickly dove right in with her spoon. Marcel was right, Brianna decided after one bite as it was the best gumbo she had ever tried.

"Your birth name is Chloe Bella Labonair," Marcel told the adopted girl after a couple of minutes had passed by while Brianna ate spoon fulls of the famous shrimp gumbo.

Brianna looked up when Marcel uttered the first piece of information about who she really was while she slowly ran the silver spoon through the brown liquid of the gumbo. Brianna never really thought of her having another name. It felt weird that she used to be called Chloe but she could see Bella as her parents named her Bellatrix as her middle name. "And what about my biological parents?" The brunette girl questioned before she took another bite of her food.

Marcel didn't say anything right away, instead he glanced over to one of his men, Joseph, and commanded, "go grab a bottle of the finest vodka for my friend, Brianna and I," before he focused back onto the aforementioned girl. "Your parents, Lauren and Justin," Marcel began in a soft voice before he told her the bad news, "they were killed when you were only a couple weeks old."

Brianna swiftly avoided Marcel's brown eyes once the words were out of his mouth as she tried to absorb that not only did she lose the people that raised her but her biological parents were also dead. It was a lot for the brunette girl to process. It took a couple more minutes but when Brianna was ready, she cleared her throat and downed the rest of her drink before she questioned in a weak whisper, "what happened?"

Marcel knew he couldn't tell Brianna the truth. He had made a promise to Justin Labonair when she was first born. Marcel promised that he wouldn't let Brianna get wrapped around the supernatural life, instead to let her live a good and normal one. So, Marcel, once again, had to tell another lie instead of telling her how they were actually killed by an angry werewolf. "A drunk driver rammed into the side of the car on their anniversary while my grandmother was babysitting you," Marcel lied as he gave her a simpler story that wouldn't raise any concerns or questions. 

Brianna barely showed any emotions when Marcel told her how she lost two sets of parents to a car accident. The brunette girl shook her head in disbelief as she grabbed ahold of the vodka bottle that one of Marcel's friends placed onto the small table before she poured it into her glass. She then downed half of her drink before she let out a humorless chuckle. "Wow," she mumbled, "my parents drop like flies." Brianna didn't really know what she thought she was going to find when she came to New Orleans, but it definitely wasn't two more dead parents.

Marcel grabbed the bottle of vodka and poured more into Brianna's glass as he knew how difficult of a time she was having. Not only did she lose two parents this week, but she also lost two more that she just found out she had. It had to be a lot to handle for a teenage girl.

Brianna took a shaky deep breath after she downed the rest of the vodka in her glass before she shook her head as she tried to calm herself down. Brianna definitely didn't want to start breaking down in front of someone she just met. "So," the brunette girl began after she cleared her throat, "we've gone over everything on the list except for one." Brianna twitched her head to the side as she stared at Marcel before she curiously wondered, "what does the crescent moon mean?"

Marcel aimlessly nodded his head as he glanced down to the list and realized there was only one thing left. The most important one. "The crescent moon is just your birthmark as you might have figured out," Marcel lied as he shrugged his shoulders before he poured vodka into his own glass, "I'm not sure why my grandmother wrote that down." In reality, Marcel knew exactly what it meant and it was a big part of who Brianna really was. However, a promise is a promise and Marcel didn't plan on breaking Justin Labonair's last dying wish.

Brianna furrowed her brows as she stared down at the list that sat in the middle of the table. The brunette girl found it weird that Marcel's grandmother, Andrea, would write down her birthmark onto a letter. It was a strange thing to want to remember. However, Brianna decided to just push that thought away as her mind was so full of important things along with how her stomach was full of gumbo and she could barely move. "So, would you happen to know a good place around here to sleep?" Brianna questioned before she added, "I don't think I'm finished when New Orleans just yet."

Marcel widely grinned at the young girl before he nodded his head and told her, "there's a hotel a couple buildings down from here." He then stood up from the red and silver chair before he exclaimed, "I can take you there now."

Brianna sighed thankfully as she didn't feel like driving all around New Orleans for a place to sleep. She would have probably just slept in her car with how full and tired she was. Brianna reached across the table for the letters from her parents as Marcel was waiting for her and pushed them into her jacket pocket before she stood up from the table. She then took out her wallet from her pocket and went to pay for her food and drink but was soon stopped as Marcel placed his cold hand on top of hers.

"It's on the house," Marcel told Brianna when he received a confused look from the brunette girl when he stopped her from paying for her meal. 

Brianna glanced over to the bar, where she saw Jane-Anne pouring what looked to be bourbon into a glass for a man in his late twenties, before she looked back over to Marcel. "Are you sure?" Brianna asked with her brows furrowed. The brunette girl didn't want to piss anyone off while she was staying in New Orleans for a couple of days. Plus, Jane-Anne was someone Brianna was beginning to like.

Marcel nodded his head before he threw Jane-Anne a smirk as they walked towards the bar. He then gave the bartender a pointed look once her eyes were on them and stated, "Jane-Anne loves helping out the new folks," before he pulled on the wooden door handle and stepped out into the dark city he calls his home.

Brianna gave Jane-Anne a quick smile and mouthed, 'thank you,' before she followed after Marcel once the older woman gave her a small nod. She then jogged over to her red Mazda and grabbed her black bag from the backseat. Brianna figured since Marcel said the hotel was only a couple buildings down, then there was no point in driving her car there.

Once Brianna had her black bag in hand, she and Marcel then began to silently walk down the streets as the town of New Orleans caused enough noise on its own. The town was very lively compared to Brianna's normal and quiet home of Mystic Falls. Brianna could hear different variety of jazz music and people drunkenly yelling along with the sounds of their booming laughter. Another thing Brianna quickly noticed was the way people looked at them, or how they looked at Marcel. It was the same looks she saw from Marcel's friends. It was like they were either scared of him or they wanted to please and praise him. 

Marcel suddenly came to a stop a couple of minutes later before he interrupted Brianna's running thoughts and exclaimed, "here we are," as he gave the brunette girl a bright grin.

Brianna curiously glanced up at the place she would be sleeping for the night and was instantly in shock at the hotel. It was a huge and beautiful off-white colored building with red lights that read Crowne Plaza. Brianna never had the opportunity in her entire life to stay at a place like this. The brunette girl thought she would be staying in a small motel not this mansion-like place.

"Wow," Brianna gasped as she expressed her thoughts. She shook her head and mumbled, "I don't think I can even afford a place like this." Brianna figured this place would at least cost a thousand dollars for the night and she couldn't go spending that much money when she had barely arrived in New Orleans.

Marcel chuckled at the marveled expression on the young girl's face before he told her, "you don't have to worry about. I got it."

The brunette girl finally moved her gaze away from the building and looked over at Marcel before she questioned with her brows furrowed, "are you sure?" Brianna felt bad that she was letting someone she just met pay for all her things. It was just how she was raised; like a Gilbert.

Marcel grinned at the young girl before he assured her, "it's on me."

Brianna continued to stare up at the man in front of her for a moment more before she finally nodded her head in agreement. She then quickly followed after Marcel as he led her into the lobby of the fancy hotel. The brunette girl didn't feel like looking all across the town for a cheaper place, so Brianna decided that she would let Marcel pay for the night until she could find herself a cheaper one tomorrow.

"Mr. Gerard!" An elder woman exclaimed as soon as she sat her green eyes onto the man everyone knew, Marcel Gerard. It wasn't very known for the man to set foot into the Crowne Plaza as he had his own apartment a few blocks away. So it made the woman, Helen, nervous to what he would want with her establishment.

Marcel leaned his body against the smooth granite counter once he and Brianna reached the elder woman before he commanded kindly, "I need the Lion Suite room key."

Helen hurriedly nodded her head and exclaimed, "right away, Mr. Gerard," before she shakily gave the brown eyed man the gold and black key card. 

"Thank you, Helen," Marcel praised as he tapped the key card against the counter before he faced the brunette girl with a grin. He then held his hand to the right and told her, "right this way," before he led her towards the bronze elevator.

Once they were standing in front of the elevator, Marcel turned and faced the brunette girl and held the key card out to her. "Your room is on the eighth floor and it's all the way at the end. You won't be able to miss it," Marcel explained once Brianna had the card in her possession. Marcel then gave the young girl one last smile before he suggested, "if you do decide to stay here in New Orleans, we can talk some more tomorrow if you wish to learn more about where you came from."

Brianna slipped the key card into her jacket pocket before she nodded her head and muttered with a small smile, "I'd really like that." Brianna decided she couldn't just leave now, not when she barely learned anything. She wanted to find herself and the only way she could do that is to know everything about her biological family and the city she was born in. Brianna then furrowed her brows in Marcel's direction as she wondered, "how am I suppose to find you again?" It wasn't like it was going to be easy like the luck she had today with finding him inside of Rousseau's Bar.

A small smirk lifted onto Marcel's lips as he slowly began to walk backwards from the young girl. "I'll know when you're looking for me," Marcel cockily called out to Brianna before he swiftly turned around on his heels and began to exit the hotel without another word.

Brianna shook her head in confusion but when a loud yawn escaped her mouth, Brianna decided not to question it as she'd found out tomorrow. The brunette girl then rode the elevator for a short ride before she slowly walked down the eighth floor. Once Brianna reached her room, she let out a small chuckle at what she saw. Marcel was right. It was very obvious as there was a small head of a lion settled on the center of the white door.

Brianna then pulled her key card out of her jacket pocket before she quickly pushed it inside the thin hole. Once Brianna heard the small clicking sound and saw the flash of the green light, the brunette girl pushed her way through the door before a gasp escaped from her lips. Brianna was in shock at how huge the room was. It had a queen sized bed in the center of the room along with a large flat screen hanging on the wall with two sets of cherry wood dressers in the corner. 

The hazel eyed girl tossed her black bag onto her new bed once she was out of her shocked trance before she made her way over to the white curtains. Brianna grinned excitedly when she pulled them open and saw the large view of the French Quarter. She could see all of the bright lights and the people walking down the streets of New Orleans with the happiest smiles on their faces. It was a beautiful sight after the week Brianna was having.

Brianna stood in front of the clean sliding glass door for a couple of minutes as it was nice to see the culture that is New Orleans before she closed the white curtains. The brunette girl was extremely exhausted and all she wanted to do was to sleep in her new bed for a couple of days. 

Brianna sighed as she slowly began to take her jacket off for bed but swiftly paused when she felt her cell phone vibrate inside of her pocket. She had totally forgotten about her cell phone ever since she arrived in Louisiana.

Brianna stuck her hand into her jacket and grabbed the device before she noticed she had several text messages from different people. She had one from her aunt Jenna that said, _call me later xoxo_ , and a short one from her angry sister that said, ' _I hope you are safe.'_ Brianna sighed sadly at her sister's message. She knew Elena was still mad at her for leaving, but it was something she needed to do. The brunette girl then skipped over the two messages before she reached the last one which was from her best friend, Caroline Forbes that said,  _'I'm still mad at u 4 leaving ... BUT I love u! Plz come home soon! ... p.s. have u seen any hot guys... or girls? ;)_

Brianna shook her head with a chuckle at the blonde girl's message. She should of known those type of texts would be coming in as Brianna had texted all of her friends once she was a couple hours out of Virginia as she didn't want everyone to freak out when they didn't see her. Brianna's friend; Caroline Forbes and her sister friend; Bonnie Bennett weren't really happy that she left but they quickly understood once she explained what was happening.

The brunette girl then closed out of her messaging app once she opened all the missed texts as she would talk to Caroline in the morning. Instead, she opened her contact list and scrolled down to the J's before she pressed the first one.

"Brianna? Are you okay?" The fast rapid questions quickly was thrown at the hazel eyed girl as soon as the call was answered.

Brianna instantly smiled at the worried voice while she began to slowly pull off her combat boots. "I'm okay, Jenna," she told her aunt before she explained, "I just wanted to give you a call before I go to bed."

The strawberry blonde sighed in relief on her end of the call. She had been worrying about her oldest niece nonstop since Brianna walked out of the Gilbert house a couple of days ago. "So, you made it to New Orleans okay?" Jenna questioned once she felt calm enough to talk as she was finally hearing Brianna's voice.

Brianna nodded her head even though she knew her aunt couldn't see before she stated, "yeah, yeah." She then tossed her leather jacket across the navy blue rolling chair in the corner of the room before she continued, "I made it here a couple of hours ago."

It was silent on Jenna's side for a moment as she quietly moved around the Gilbert house before she settled onto the couch with a glass of red wine in her hand. "So, did you find anything about your parents?" Jenna wondered as she relaxed against a soft pillow.

A frown slowly formed its way onto Brianna's face at her aunt's question. She took a seat onto her large bed as she mumbled, "um, they're actually both dead."

"Aw," Jenna cooed sadly. Miranda never really told the strawberry blonde anything about Brianna's parents so she didn't even know if the young girl would find them. "I'm sorry, honey," Jenna told her niece before she asked softly, "are you okay?"

Brianna relaxed her body against the soft bed and laid her head onto the white pillowcase before a loud sigh escaped her lips. "I guess," Brianna muttered as she turned her body to the side. "I'm suppose to meet up with Marcel again tomorrow, maybe I'll get closure with knowing who they really were," the brunette girl told her aunt. That was what Brianna was hoping. She just wanted to know who they were. She wanted to visit the places they went to on a daily basis, where they worked, where they fell in love. Brianna just wanted to feel connected with them as they were the last thing that connected her to who she really is. 

"I'm sure you'll find something," Jenna uttered gently as she tried to console the young girl as best she could over the phone. 

Brianna laid there in silence as she thought about her biological family and tried to imagine what they looked like before she asked her aunt, "how is everyone doing over there?" Even though Brianna was trying to learn about her birth family, it didn't mean she wasn't worried and didn't miss her siblings and her aunt. She missed them horribly as they were the only family she had ever known.

"I'm good," Jenna responded to her niece, "I've just been working on my dissertation for my physiological class." The strawberry blonde then took a small sip of her red wine before she continued, "Jeremy's been having a hard time." Jenna sighed before she mumbled, "I don't know what to do with him. He's drinking all the time and getting in super late."

Brianna's brows furrowed in worry for Jeremy. She didn't know it was that bad for him. "I'm sure he'll get better," Brianna told her aunt even though she wasn't so sure herself. "Tell Jer I love him for me," Brianna requested as she felt horrible not being there for him right now. 

"Bellatrix, don't worry too much about it," Jenna quickly told the brunette girl as she could tell Brianna was feeling bad. It was just how Brianna was. She always wanted to protect everyone even though she can't really help someone get over a death. "You just need to focus on you," Jenna added to make her niece feel better.

"Yeah, I know," Brianna mumbled before she wondered in a quiet voice, "is Elena still pissed at me?" Brianna hated to know her sister was mad at her. There had never been a time where the brown eyed girl didn't talk to her, so Brianna was having a hard time since Elena would barley leave her a small text and wouldn't answer her calls.

Jenna was silent for a couple of short seconds before she told Brianna, "Elena's still trying to grieve and with you leaving... it's just been hard for her. Elena will get over it soon once she realizes that this is something you needed to do."

"Okay," the brunette girl whispered as she thought back to her sister's face on that dreadful day. Brianna hated leaving Elena like that without fixing the situation but she knew if she would have stayed, Brianna would have never left. Brianna just had to remember that she had to do this. She deserved to be selfish. 

"She'll be fine. You don't need to worry so much," Jenna told Brianna with a soft chuckle. "Now, I love you, Bri, but I really need to go to sleep," the strawberry blonde told her niece as she had to be up early for school.

"Alright," Brianna uttered and said, "love you too and goodnight," before she ended the phone call with a yawn. She then tossed her cell phone onto the other side of the large bed before she softly closed her hazel eyes.

Brianna was exhausted and she knew she had a long day ahead of her. She had a whole town to discover and what else Marcel would tell her about her biological parents. The young girl just hoped she would get the answers she needed to find herself and get closure over the parents she never got the opportunity to love and get to know like she did with the parents that raised her.

Brianna's brain slowly began to shut down for the night once she relaxed her body against the soft sheets of her new bed with only the calming sound of jazz music softly playing from outside of her window with one final thought running through her mind -

_Who is Chloe Labonair?_


	4. CHAPTER 3

It was like nothing in the world could wake up the sleeping Brianna on her first official day of staying in New Orleans, Louisiana as she was hitting the twelve hour mark and she was still soundlessly sleeping in the comfortable king sized bed in her Lion Suite. But when a series of loud knocks pounded onto the front door, the young girl's hazel eyes finally opened. 

Brianna let out a tired yawn once she forced herself to sit up in the warm bed before she reached across and grabbed her cell phone off of the bedside table. "Damn," the brunette girl mumbled when she saw it was exactly one in the afternoon. Brianna not only had missed ten calls from her friend; Caroline, and her aunt; Jenna, but she also slept through every single morning news show, and the hotel's complementary breakfast.

The brunette girl then slowly crawled out of the heavenly bed and pushed her messy brown hair out of her eyes with a huff as the pounding on the front door was still going. Brianna didn't even bother looking through the small peep hole to see who see was there once she reached the entrance as only three people knew that she was staying in this hotel.

"Hello, Ms. Gilbert!" The very loud and cheerful voice of Helen, the woman that Brianna immediately recognized as the receptionist from the hotel lobby when Marcel had brought her here last night and had gotten her a free room, called out once the white door was thrown open.

The perky woman didn't wait for a response from the teenage girl before she pushed her way through the door without a care in the world while she carried a handmade wooden basket in her thin arms. Helen then faced the annoyed Brianna, who didn't have time for the excited woman when she was still half asleep, and exclaimed in the same happy voice, "Mr. Gerard wanted me to deliver this to you," before she gently placed the large basket onto the dresser of the Lion Suite.

"Uh, thanks," Brianna mumbled confusingly as she didn't know why Marcel was sending her something when they barely officially met yesterday. The brunette girl then rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes before she looked up and gave the older woman a fake smile as she just wanted to get rid of her already. Brianna could not deal with perky people when she barely woke up. She couldn't even talk to her bright and bubbly friend; Caroline Forbes, until at least ten in the morning or Brianna will want to scratch her eyes out. The Forbes girl learned that lesson the hard way when they were seven years old and Brianna had yanked on the blonde girl's hair to shut her up.

"Oh! Of course!" The older woman hurriedly uttered with her eyes widened when she realized she was finished before she quickly made her way back to the opened door. "Have a nice day!" Helen exclaimed as she rushed out of the room as she remembered Mr. Gerard told her to be kind to the young girl and to only deliver the package or she could kiss her hotel goodbye and Helen definitely didn't want that as this hotel is her life and along the fact that she wants to stay on Marcel's good side.

Brianna watched Helen basically sprint to the elevator with confusion written all over her face.  _Weird,_ the brunette girl thought as it looked like the woman was afraid. Brianna then shrugged her shoulders as she pushed that thought away as she figured the receptionist must have forgotten to do something before she closed the door behind her and made her way towards the basket.

The brunette girl then glanced around the basket but there was a dark red wrapping around it, so Brianna carried it with her as she went back to the large and cozy bed. Once Brianna was comfortable on the center of the mattress, she then slowly pulled the wrapping off and noticed that it was like a welcome basket. There was a paper sign that said; 'Welcome to New Orleans!' There was also a couple of postcards, a map of the city, three Mardi Gras beaded necklaces, a big bag of Zapp's potato chips, a small bottle of St. Roch vodka, and a heavy Fleur De Lis paper weight.

_Well, that was nice of Marcel,_ Brianna thought after she neatly placed everything back into the basket and set it to the side. The hazel eyed girl then let out another tired yawn before she decided it was time to go out and explore the town she was born in or she would end up falling back to sleep.

Brianna then sluggishly got out of the bed while she thought of the coffee she would soon buy to wake her up before she moved over to her black bag that had all of her clothes.  _I really should unpack,_ Brianna thought before she promised with a shrug,  _I'll do it when I get back._

The brunette girl sifted through all of her clothes for a moment before she found something lazy to wear. It consisted of a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a white t-shirt that said in black letters, 'bad habits,' in the top corner. Brianna instantly shook her head with a small chuckle as she remembered when she and Caroline had bought the same shirt while they were on a trip in New York with their AP History class. 

It was ironic because they had sneaked out together while everyone was sleeping and saw the matching shirts on their way back from this party that they had went to and had gotten drunk. Caroline had tipsily told Brianna while they were buying the shirts that Brianna was a bad influence and she was the cause of her bad habits.  _Well, she wasn't wrong,_ Brianna thought as she threw the shirt on as she was the one that was always dragging Elena and their friends to parties.

Once she was dressed for the day, Brianna moved to the stand in front of the full body mirror that was attached to the bathroom door. The brunette girl then shook her head before she headed back to her bag of clothes. She pulled out a grey cardigan as Brianna figured she might get chilly later if she stays out too late. Even though it was late July in the south, Brianna would rather be safe than sorry if a cold front was to hit since she had missed the news this morning and couldn't see the weather forecast. 

"There," Brianna huffed out once she placed the cardigan over her shoulders and had slipped in a pair of simple black boots that came right above her ankles. The brunette girl then grabbed her cell phone and room key off of the bedside table before she grabbed her black wallet out of the leather jacket that she had worn yesterday. 

The Gilbert girl stood there for a moment once she had her things as she tried to make sure she had everything she would need for today before she thought of something she could bring with her; the map of New Orleans. Brianna figured it could help get her around the city until she could find Marcel.

Once Brianna realized she had everything, she shoved her key card into her black wallet, placed her cell phone in the back pocket of her jeans, and left the map in her right hand before she finally exited her hotel room for the first time since she had arrived. 

Brianna then took the short ride down the silent elevator before she walked through the lobby, where the receptionist, Helen, gave her a wide smile and an exaggerated wave.  _I'm definitely not going to ever like her,_ Brianna thought as she pushed the door open and stepped foot out onto the New Orleans streets as the woman was just too cheerful for Brianna's taste.

The Gilbert girl then moved to the side of the hotel as she avoided running into anyone before she opened up the map that Marcel had gave her as she had no clue what she was doing in the unfamiliar town. Brianna figured she was just going to wing it as she didn't have any plans.  _Maybe it'll lead me back to Marcel,_ the brunette girl thought as she had gotten lucky with finding him yesterday without even looking.

Brianna focused her hazel eyes down on the map for a couple of minutes before she found a place that caught her attention; Faulkner House Books. The teenage girl loves to read - despite the stereotype of her being a bad girl and a jock who only likes to drink, party, and play soccer. Brianna was secretly a huge nerd. She loved to read and learn about anything that had to deal with history as it is her passion.

Once Brianna had a location in mind, she turned left to head back to Rousseau's Bar to pick up her red Mazda from the parking lot. However, the brunette girl quickly came to a stop as she realized she could just walk around New Orleans. It seemed like everything was close together from what the Gilbert girl saw on the map and what she saw when she had first entered New Orleans yesterday. So, instead of continuing to go left, Brianna turned right back around and started to walk the other direction to the bookstore.

* * *

It took an extra fifteen minutes before Brianna finally reached the small shop - which was probably longer than it should had taken as the brunette girl had soaked in all of the amazing and beautiful culture that surrounded her. It was barely two in the afternoon when Brianna began to walk down the roads, but the city was just so lively. Brianna could already hear and see the Jazz musicians playing on the street corners and the people in their early twenties heading into bars along with the smell of fresh seafood. It's so different from the life she left in Mystic Falls, so Brianna wanted to soak it all in as much as she could. 

The Gilbert girl had also stopped at a local coffee shop that was next to the bookstore so that added another ten minutes of her time as she needed something to keep awake after sleeping for so long. Finally, after saying a quick thank you to the barista, Brianna got to enter through the glass doors of the establishment that she had learned was named after a famous author from her very hometown.

Brianna was instantly shell shocked once her hazel eyes finally adjusted to the light and glanced around the store. It was small but it was filled to the rim with thousands of books. It was like heaven for the brunette girl as her inner nerd was screaming out with pleasure.  _I'll definitely be back here,_ Brianna thought as she trailed her fingers across the edges of the rough books while she slowly walked down the first aisle. 

"Hello," a sweet and kind voice spoke from behind Brianna while she was in the middle of a book filled orgasm. "Can I help you with anything?" The young girl wondered politely.

Brianna quickly turned around at the honey-like tone and saw that it was a beautiful brunette girl that was probably the same age as she was. The Gilbert girl then gave the obvious worker a quick smile before she replied, "I was just looking around."

The brunette girl nodded her head in understanding before she wondered instead of turning around like she usually would when customers would tell her that, "so, are you new in town?" The cashier really didn't want to back to work, so she figured she would chat up the unknown person as she didn't think she'd seen the hazel eyed girl at the only high school in New Orleans. 

Brianna thought for a moment what her answer should be before she uttered with a content smile, "actually, I'm a returning resident." The brunette girl was really starting to feel at home in New Orleans despite only being here for a day in half but it just felt right to call it hers. "I was born here," Brianna added as she further explained to the teenager in front of her as she was probably trying to figure out if she knew her.

"Oh, okay," the brunette girl uttered as she realized that is why the hazel eyed girl doesn't look familiar. She then went to open her mouth to ask another question, but before she could she was soon interrupted by mother yelling at her to get back to work. The teenage cashier let out a sigh and mumbled, "I should probably go," before she told the new comer or returner, "let me know if you need any help."

"Thanks," Brianna praised politely before she silently watched the cute brunette girl walk back behind the counter.  _She seems nice,_ the Gilbert girl thought as she finally got to meet someone that is actually her age. It seemed like everywhere Brianna looked it was only young adults in their early twenties or even older people.

Brianna shook her head after a moment as she realized she had just been standing in the middle of the store in some random trance from the cashier. _Beautiful girls and guys will be the death of me,_ Brianna thought as she just couldn't help but be attracted to the cashier's angelic face. The Gilbert girl then quickly turned around as she needed to focus before she headed down the first aisle to hopefully find something that would catch her attention. 

It took Brianna about twenty minutes of slowly walking down the aisles of books while stopping at least five times for each row before she grabbed two books. They were both historical books about New Orleans. Brianna wanted to learn all she could about her hometown, so she grabbed one that was about the French Quarter and the other one was called; In The Spirit Of New Orleans, that looked to be about the culture of the city.

Brianna figured this would be good for now as she could always just come back here whenever she wanted another book along with the fact that her arms were starting to hurt from carrying the two heavy books while she was also trying to keep her coffee from spilling. However, before Brianna could reach the cashier, a book in the corner of the room quickly caught her attention. The brunette girl smiled once she walked up to it and read the title; Gone With The Wind.

_Caroline is going to flip,_ Brianna thought as her blonde friend is obsessed with Scarlett O'Hara. It was very hard to even find a copy of the classic novel, so Brianna quickly swiped it off of the shelve as she couldn't pass up the chance of not buying Caroline's favorite tale.  _Hopefully this will help with not giving her an official goodbye,_ Brianna thought as she knew her blonde friend was still mad that she just left in the middle of the night without giving her a real goodbye.

A groan immediately escaped from Brianna's mouth once she piled Caroline's book onto the other two thick books. Brianna knew she wouldn't be able to carry anything else, so she quickly speed walked over the cashier as she prayed she would make it there without dropping anything.

"Hey!" The cheery voice of the teenage girl that Brianna had met earlier greeted the hazel eyed girl once Brianna had slammed the books down onto the counter and gained her attention. The cashier than began to scan the items like she does everyday during the summer and every evening during school. "Will that be all?" The teenager questioned once she placed the three books into a lime green tote bag.

Brianna nodded her head with a polite smile before she joked, "I think so." The Gilbert girl then glanced up at the bright green total on the cash register before she opened up her leather wallet and pulled out three twenties. "Here you go," Brianna mumbled as she handed over the money.

The Gilbert girl then took the chance to look behind the cashier while the teenage girl was counting out the money and noticed a couple of posters. There was one for the football team; New Orleans Saints and the other one was a poster of the Catholic church that Brianna remembered walking by when she was walking towards the bookstore and coffee shop.

"Six-fifty is your change," the honey-like voice of the young girl uttered after a moment of silence had settled between them as she had switched out the right amount of money before she placed the dollars and coins into the hazel eyed girl's awaiting palm.

"Thanks," Brianna began as she placed the money back into her leather wallet before she looked back up and finally noticed the name tag on the teenager's floral spaghetti strap top. The Gilbert girl then trailed off confusingly as she read the name in a form of a question as she could only see the d-a-v-i on the tag, "David?"

The cashier instantly blushed ruby red as she quickly shook her head. "Oh, God no!" She mumbled in embarrassment. The teenager chuckled awkwardly as she held out her sun-kissed hand before she uttered her name, "it's Davina. Davina Claire."

The hazel eyed girl smirked at the nervous teenager in front of her before she politely shook Davina's hand. "Brianna," she uttered once she let go and also introduced herself in the same way, "Brianna Gilbert." 

The Claire girl instantly grinned at Brianna now that she knew the name of the teenager with her bright smile fully on show. Davina felt like she never gets to meet anyone her age except, of course, for her friend, Tim, but he was in California for the summer. "So, are you staying in town?" Davina wondered while she leaned her side against the wooden counter as she didn't want to say goodbye just yet. 

Brianna bit down on her bottom lip as she thought for a moment before she finally nodded her head and stated, "I think I will for a couple more days." The Gilbert girl didn't really know how long she was actually going to stay for but she she knew for certain that she didn't plan on leaving anytime soon until she got to know who she really is. Brianna wanted to know more about her family before she could even think about leaving.

Davina nodded before an idea quickly popped into her head. She then began to move papers around on the counter until she found a blank piece of paper and a pen before she scribbled down her number. "Well, if you ever want to hang out this summer or if you wanna go out and do something, this is my number," the Claire girl uttered nervously before she handed over the information to Brianna.

"I'd like that," Brianna uttered with a grin. The Gilbert girl was glad that she was already making friends with someone her age. It was usually hard for her to make friends with teenagers unless they wanted something from her like alcohol, information on who to buy drugs from, or sex. But Davina was certainly different. She was just so innocent and pure.  _I could use some innocence,_ Brianna thought as she never really is friends with people like that. 

"I'll shoot you a text later," Brianna quickly promised before she waved goodbye to Davina once she had her bag of books as she had noticed someone standing behind her and she didn't want to hold them up. Brianna then pushed the tote of books up her arm before she finally exited out of the place she knew she would be visiting quite often, either for the books or the cute cashier.

The Gilbert girl then clumsily pulled out of the map of New Orleans while she tried to hold her coffee, books, and wallet all at the same time. Brianna let out a huff once she stuffed her wallet into the bag of books before she finally looked down at the map. The brunette girl then nodded her head to herself as she found her next location, a resale shop called; 'Restoration Thrift.'

It took Brianna about ten minutes to reach her next destination from the bookstore. Brianna had to walk down three streets before she spotted the tan building from the map. The brunette girl figured since she bought Caroline something then she would just turn this day into gift shopping and she knew she could find something inside of the shop for Jenna as she knew her aunt loved vintage things.

Once again, Brianna greeted the cashier once she walked into the store like she had done with Davina with a polite smile. However, this time instead of a teenage girl that was her age, it was an older woman in her late fifties with long dark curly hair.

The Gilbert girl then stood in her spot for a moment once the older woman said a small hello as she didn't really know what she was looking for. The large store was filled with so much stuff, so Brianna just decided to start on the first aisle and her make her way around. 

The first aisle had a mixture of jewelry ranging from silver necklaces to mood rings. Brianna shook her head after a moment of sifting through the jewelry as nothing really caught her attention. She then moved onto the next aisle that had scarves and headbands.  _Now this is more Jenna's style,_ Brianna thought as her aunt always finds a way to wear a scarf even when it's seventy-five degrees in Mystic Falls. 

Brianna scanned the many scarves for a few minutes before she finally settled on three that she knew her aunt would life. The first one was a grey scarf that would go perfectly with Jenna's dark jacket that she always wore. The second one was white with pink and purple flowers going along it and then the last one was black with small little white arrows.

Once the Gilbert girl had the three scarves hanging across her grey cardigan, Brianna then continued to walk around the store before she noticed an aisle that had pens, notebooks, and journals. Brianna went straight to the journals and began to look at the them closely before one of them caught her attention the most. It was a pale purple journal that said, 'one day at a time,' written in white cursive. The hazel eyed girl knew that her sister loves to write, so Brianna figured it would be the perfect thing for Elena, especially right now after they just lost their parents.

Brianna added the journal to the pile of things she was buying for her family before she continued to look around the store for anything that she could give to someone. The Gilbert girl then grabbed a dark blue jean jacket after a few minutes of looking around once she got to the clothes section. Brianna figured she would get her sister's best friend something too. 

Bonnie Bennett and Brianna Gilbert weren't the best of friends as the Bennett girl didn't like how she was always dragging them to parties and getting them into trouble. However, Brianna didn't want to be a bitch, so she thought she would play nice and buy the jacket for the brown eyed girl as she knew from Bonnie's style that she likes these type of jackets.

Once Brianna placed the jacket onto her arm that held the things she was going to buy, she looked around the store for ten more minutes or so before she finally headed to the cashier and paid for her things. The Gilbert girl then headed back onto the streets of New Orleans once she put her money back in her wallet and thanked the older woman. 

Brianna had decided while she took those couple of minutes of looking for something for her brother that she was going to stop by this music store that she had noticed earlier as she figured the moody and teenage Jeremy wouldn't like anything from the resale shop. So here was Brianna was, once again, standing at the corner street while she looked down at the map of New Orleans.

It took Brianna only a couple of seconds before she spotted the store on the map before she silently began to walk between a couple of alleyways before she noticed the bright neon sign that read, 'Second Life Vinyl Shop.' 

_Perfect,_ Brianna thought as she knew this was the place she could find her brother's present. Jeremy is all about old school rock n' roll, so Brianna figured there would be something inside that she would recognize from the many times that she had heard Jeremy's music blaring through the thin walls of the Gilbert house.

Once Brianna stuck the map into her bag of books, Brianna pulled open the dark shaded door to the establishment before she immediately was amazed at what was laid out in front of her. The store was filled with band posters and all of these cool neon signs that matched the one from outside. They are all very colorful and bright. It gave off such a chill atmosphere that Brianna instantly liked. 

_Jeremy would have definitely loved this place,_ the Gilbert girl thought as Mystic Falls only had one music store and it wasn't even close to being as nice as this place. Brianna and Jeremy would always have to go to a bigger city like Richmond to find the good music albums.

"Good evening," a rough but smooth voice interrupted the brunette girl's thoughts as her hazel eyes were still glued onto the neon signs like she was in the middle of a LSD trip by all of the colors. "They're beautiful, aren't they?" The man questioned as he noticed the young girl was staring at all of his signs like most tourist do when they come into his shop.

Brianna swiftly turned around when she heard someone speak and noticed a man in his late twenties or early thirties with a fedora sitting on top of his head and a tattoo peaking out from his grey tank top. "They're amazing," Brianna finally answered the man question once she moved her eyes back to the bright signs, "they seem so authentic and retro."

"Well, most of them are originally bought back in the sixties and seventies," the brown eyed man explained to the young girl as he also focused onto his beloved signs. The short girl and tall guy stood there for a couple of minutes as they watched the blinking lights before the guy finally introduced himself as he held out his hand, "Joe Dalton. Welcome to my store."

The Gilbert girl quickly turned her body around to face the man when she heard Joe speak again before she shook the owner of the vinyl store's hand with a polite smile. "Brianna Gilbert," the brunette girl also introduced herself.

Joe's brown eyes immediately widened in disbelief when he heard the young girl utter her name. "He wasn't joking," the man mumbled under his breath before he quickly explained when he noticed the confused look on the teenager's face as she must of heard him, "Marcel mentioned you were in town." Joe then lifted up his hat and rubbed his short hair before he continued, "I don't think you'd remember me as you were just a small pea back then, but I was friends with your parents thanks to MG."

Brianna calmed down at first once she heard Marcel's name and was also surprised another person knew who she is but the Gilbert girl then grew even more confused than before at Joe's last statement. "Friends?" Brianna wondered before she uttered puzzlingly, "they must have really liked children. You would have been really young when I was born." The brunette girl remembered Marcel telling her that he was only nine years old when she was born, so Brianna figured Joe was around the same age.

"Young?" The man questioned right back in the same confusing manner as the hazel eyed girl had done.  _What the hell has Marcel been telling the Labonair girl?_ Joe thought as he had no clue what was going on.

Brianna nodded her head as she mumbled, "yeah," before she explained, "Marcel told me that he was only nine years old when my parents died and I was adopted." The brunette girl shrugged her shoulders as she commented, "so, you couldn't have been that much older than him."

"Oh, yeah!" Joe hollered as he pointed at the brunette girl like he was remembering before he rolled his brown eyes with a chuckle. "I think my old age is catching up with me," the man joked, "I can't even remember what things happened in what years." The man then gave Brianna a small smile before he lied, "but yeah, your parents was friends with my father." However, in reality, it was Joe that was actually friends with the Labonair couple. But Joe knew he couldn't say that as it seems like Marcel had came up with a lie to protect the young girl.

The Gilbert girl nodded her head with a polite smile as she figured the man just got some of his facts mixed up. It made sense now as he doesn't look that much older than Marcel and Joe couldn't have been older than eleven at the time when she was born.

"So, what were my parents like?" Brianna wondered after a moment of silence as she couldn't help but ask. She just wanted to know more about them and she didn't know where she could find Marcel right now, so why not ask someone that knew them?

"They were good people," Joe uttered with a small smile. "Lauren used to always bring cookies or other food over when she would get off work to make sure she we weren't going hungry or anything," the brown eyed man explained as he remembered the brunette woman coming by all the time. But instead of being a child like Brianna was probably thinking, Joe was an adult and Lauren along with her husband; Justin was Joe and Marcel's close friends- despite Justin's true nature.

"Where did she work?" Brianna wondered as she was pulled into the small tale of the kind act of her birth mother. The brunette girl didn't even know what her mother looked like but in Brianna's mind she could only imagine a sweet woman bringing goodies like a suburban mom.

The owner of the vinyl shop pointed towards the West as if he was showing where Lauren worked as he answered the young girl's question, "she use to work down on North Rampart Street a few miles back at Cafe Sbisa. Lauren would always bring us steak and cakes on her way home. Your mom was a real sweet and caring woman."

Brianna smiled slightly as she finally learned something about her birth mother. It was just something else she could place together for the faceless person that she didn't really know anything about except, of course, that she carried her for nine months. "Thank you," Brianna whispered after a moment of her staring at nothing in particular while she thought about the small piece of information that helped her feel closer to her biological parents.

"It's nothing," Joe assured the young girl with a bright grin as he waved his hand, "I'm happy to help." The older man then glanced behind him when he heard the bell ringing from the front door, which immediately caused Joe to straighten up as he noticed Thierry Vanchure. "Well, if you need anything or you want to know more about parents, just let me know," Joe quickly told the brunette with a tight smile as he squeezed her shoulder before the man swiftly turned around and followed after Thierry through the back door.

The Gilbert girl gave the older man a thankful smile before she also turned around once he had began to walk away - which caused Brianna to miss the tension the store owner had as he followed after Thierry and she also failed to notice the guy in the black hood that was secretly following her after witnessing the conversation with Joe. The brunette girl instead was focusing on her brother's present as she slowly walked through the vinyl store as she searched through all of the albums.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Brianna found the perfect one that Jeremy would like. It was a vinyl record of the album; Nevermind by Nirvana.  _I'm definitely stealing this when I go back home,_ Brianna thought as this was something she and Jeremy always had in common; music taste. Well, that was actually true with everyone Brianna knew. She liked just about every single type of music from smooth jazz to underground rap. The only thing she couldn't stand was country music. Brianna was just never a fan and thankfully neither was anyone in her family.

The Nirvana album wasn't all Brianna bought either. The Gilbert girl stayed in the store for another twenty minutes as she grabbed two other records for herself. One was a Thirty Seconds To Mars album and the other one was Frank Sinatra. The brunette girl then had to force herself to leave the aisles and pay for her items once she had the three vinyl's in her hand as she could stay inside the shop for days. So, Brianna paid for the music before she finally made her way back onto the streets of New Orleans.

However, Brianna was instantly shocked once she stepped out into the chilly air as it was pitch black dark. The brunette hadn't even realized she was in the vinyl store for that long.  _I think that's a sign to stop shopping,_ Brianna thought as the sun was gone and she was getting hungry since she only had a large cup of coffee at two in the afternoon. 

Once Brianna had her bags situation along her arms, she began to look around her surrounding for a moment as she tried to see if she could get back to the hotel on her own. The Gilbert girl silently nodded her head to herself once she noticed the sign to the familiar hotel shining brightly in the dark sky. 

Brianna then began to slowly walk through the dark alleyways as she followed the arrows to the famous building.  _I think I'll stop by and see Jane-Anne,_ the Gilbert girl silently thought to herself since she didn't know where to spend the rest of her night and why not go to a bar? Anyway, she might even get lucky again and find Marcel like she did last night when she went to Rousseau's. 

But unluckily for Brianna, while she was busy walking down the dark road as she prayed Jane-Anne's sister still had some gumbo left over, the brunette girl didn't see or hear someone coming towards her until she felt her body slam against the brick wall that was about two streets away from her hotel.

"Fuck," Brianna groaned as soon as she felt her forehead bounce off of the hard wall before she instantly went to her instincts of fight or flight mode. She had two choices and her mind was screaming at her to just get out of here as Brianna didn't know the people of New Orleans like she did in Mystic Falls. So Brianna did the one thing she hoped would work as she shouted while she placed her hands onto the wall to show she wasn't going to fight, "just take whatever you want!" 

However, the unknown assailant, a man, didn't take the bait like Brianna thought he would. He instead pushed his nose into the brunette girl's neck as he heavily breathed in her sweet and warm scent. "I got what I want right here, little Labonair," the man whispered sinisterly.

"Please!" Brianna begged as she just wanted to get out of this uncomfortable situation with the man that shockingly knew who she is. The Gilbert girl then quickly tossed her wallet by the guys feet as she decided to try a different tactic. "You can have my money. There is thousands of dollars in there," Brianna hurriedly told the man, "I won't tell anyone if you just let me go."

The man still didn't move at the mention of all the money. He only chuckled sinisterly before he moved at fast speed and twirled the brunette girl around so she was now facing him. "I said, I already got what I want right here," the man snarled out as he placed his cold hand around Brianna's neck and squeezed the breath right out of her lungs.

Brianna's hazel eyes instantly widened once she looked up at her attacker and saw his bright blue eyes turn dark with black veins starting to crawl across his cheeks before sharp fangs sprang from his gums. It was something she had never seen in her life and it frightened her to the core. Brianna didn't know how she was suppose to fight this creature, so she did one thing she knew she could; she screamed as loud as she could as she prayed someone would hear her and save her.

Unluckily for the brunette girl, the man or monster swiftly covered Brianna's mouth before she could let out more than a second of her banshee-like scream. The man then shook his head with another evil and sinister chuckle as he was enjoying the fight in this girl. "I don't think so, little one," the man uttered before he opened his mouth, fangs and all, to finally get to eat his feisty snack. 

However, before the man could sink his teeth into the brunette girl's jugular, he was suddenly thrown against the adjacent brick wall while a protective and vamped out Marcel Gerard stood in front of the scared human girl. "Do not touch her," Marcel growled out as he glared down at the now angry vampire.

The man swiftly stood up once he realized he was under attack from another vampire. But his need to kill the other vampire was soon replaced by fear when he saw his leader. "M-Marcel, I-I didn't know you knew the girl," the vampire uttered nervously.

Marcel slowly stalker over to the anxious vampire with a snarl escaping through the crack of his lips and fangs before he grabbed the attacker by his neck and pushed his him against the brick wall. "Brianna Gilbert is to never be touched," Marcel growled, "and now you know," before he swiftly thrusted his hand into the vampire's chest and ripped his heart right out.

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God," Brianna repeated over and over again as she slid her body down to the dirty pavement of the alley as she was shell shocked at what she just witnessed. The man had fangs and he was going to bite her. But then Marcel just showed up out of nowhere with the same face and killed the guy. However, the brunette girl couldn't even begin to process what happened, even though she knew what she saw, as she had never seen anything like it before.

"Ah!" The Gilbert girl shrieked out while she was lost in her frightened thoughts when she felt someone touch her lower arm. Brianna then quickly began to try to move back but the wall that she was leaning against was stopping her from moving any further. So, the brunette girl did what she could as she pushed the hands that kept on grabbing as she prayed it was all just a bad dream.

"Hey, calm down," Marcel uttered softly as he was squatted down to be eye-level with the human girl after he wiped the blood from his hands. "You're okay," the brown eyed man continued as he tried to calm down the hysterical girl after her first vampire attack, "you're safe. He can't hurt anymore. I got you."

"W-What's j-just happened?" Brianna whimpered as she wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach to offer some sort of comfort to herself as she felt like she was going crazy. The Gilbert girl couldn't even begin to comprehend what she just saw. It just didn't make sense to Brianna. Things like this just aren't suppose to happen. This is real life, not some horror movie.

"Joe called and told me that you were walking home in the dark," Marcel explained in the same calm and soothing voice while he also avoided talking about the elephant in the room, so he wouldn't frighten the girl even more than she already is. Marcel hated that this happened. The Labonair girl only been in town for two days and she was already getting involved in one of things Marcel had promised Justin and Lauren that wouldn't happen.

Brianna didn't even know how she was suppose to respond. She still didn't understand who that man was and why he attacked her or how Marcel fucking ripped his heart out of his chest like he was ripping a piece of paper. It was like her brain couldn't connect everything together just yet. The only thing Brianna could actually do is just let out all of her scared tears while she rocked back and forth as she hugged her knees to her chest.

Marcel let out a heavy sigh as he looked across at the unresponsive human girl, who had just met her first official vampire. The Gerard vampire knew he should of gotten Brianna out of New Orleans when he first saw her. He never wanted this to happen. However, there was no turning back now, so Marcel pulled out his cell phone as he knew he needed to get Brianna somewhere safe so he can explain what really goes on in her hometown.

"Crowne Plaza and Peters Street," Marcel uttered out his location once he heard his call being answered by his close confidant, Joe Dalton. "Come here and grab Brianna's things and I need you to go to room 187 at the Plaza and grab all of her things before bringing them to my place," the Gerard vampire continued in a low voice.

Once Marcel got a simple okay from his friend, he placed his cell phone into the back pocket of his jeans before he focused onto the human girl. Marcel then bent down to cradle Brianna in his arms while he made sure to whisper, "it's going to be okay," before he finally vamp sped towards his personal apartment that was a few blocks away in the center of the French Quarter.

The Gilbert girl instantly pushed herself out of Marcel's arms and stumbled backwards as soon as she could see her surroundings again instead of the darkness she had experienced when Marcel had picked her up and had somehow ran at incredible speed. "H-How did you do that?" Brianna gasped as she felt like it had only been one second between the alleyway and the apartment. 

Marcel instantly raised his hands in the air to show the human girl that he wasn't going to hurt her if she happened to be frightened of him while he took a step closer. "First, I need you to relax before I tell you anything, Brianna," Marcel uttered worriedly as the human girl didn't look well with her face turning pale along with her shaky limbs. The Gerard vampire then pointed his head towards the deep brown couch behind Brianna once he saw she wasn't going to faint on him before he silently took a seat on the matching chair that was across from the couch.

Brianna didn't know if she could even trust Marcel right now as he was just like the guy that had attacked her and she was just still very confused. However, Brianna knew she needed to sit as she was so dizzy from whatever had just happened. So, Brianna kept her hazel eyes locked onto Marcel's brown ones as she slowly stepped back until she felt the back of legs touch the soft couch before she took a seat at the very edge.

The Gerard vampire kept his eyes glued onto the brunette girl for a couple of minutes as he silently watched her to make sure Brianna was really okay. But once Marcel noticed that she wasn't about to sprint to the front door for help, he let out a sigh while he tiredly rubbed his hands down his face. "The person that attacked you tonight was a very stupid and idiotic vampire," Marcel finally explained to the human girl once he looked back up at the nervous and impatient Brianna.

The Gilbert girl rose an eyebrow at the man in front of her in complete and utter disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" Brianna questioned in amusement - despite that she just watched someone die in front of her. There was no such thing as vampires. That was just some stupid bedtime story that parents would tell their kids to scare them.

However, Marcel didn't start laughing or say he was just joking like Brianna was hoping he would. He instead allowed his face to turn to its monster form as his brown eyes turned red and fangs squeezed their way through his lips before he vamp sped across the room. "Everything you thought you knew, is all about to change, Brianna," Marcel uttered once he turned his face back to normal and walked back to his seat. The Gerard vampire knew he couldn't keep Brianna in the dark any longer like he had promised to her parents. It would just cause Brianna to be in even more danger than she was in when he got her out of New Orleans seventeen years ago. 

An array of emotions immediately began to display on the Gilbert girl's face once she saw Marcel transform and move across the room at inhuman speed. Brianna was shocked, surprised, scared, and then finally; she felt acceptance as she accepted that this was all happening. She knew she would be stupid to play this off and ignore it when she saw it first hand when Marcel had killed that guy and had showed her his true form.

"Tell me more," Brianna commanded after a moment as she crossed her arms over her chest while she stared directly at Marcel with a straight face once she gained the strength to push down the fear that she had felt. If Brianna was going to know about vampires, then she wanted to know everything as this wasn't a thing she could just brush off like a scared teenager when she knew this is serious.

A small smile instantly lifted onto Marcel's dark lips at how strong the human girl already was.  _Maybe she will make it here after all,_ the Gerard vampire thought as he had been afraid ever since Brianna arrived in New Orleans that she would end up dead. But now, it seems like the brunette girl is stronger than she looks.

"New Orleans isn't like any other place in the world," Marcel began to tell the human girl once he got up from his chair that he had been sitting in and slowly walked into the adjacent kitchen. He glanced towards Brianna as he stood on the other side of the room before he continued, "the city is run by vampires." Marcel then bent down and grabbed a bottle bourbon for himself and a bottle of vodka as he had noticed last night that was Brianna's alcohol of choice. Once he had the two bottles in his hands along with two glasses, Marcel made his way back into the living room before he placed their necessities down onto the glass coffee table in front of Brianna.

"I run New Orleans," Marcel uttered proudly as he began to pour the amber liquid into his glass and the clear liquid into the human girl's before he handed Brianna the glass. "My army of vampires and I keep this town from getting out of hand," Marcel further explained once he was relaxed in his chair, "we don't let the witches practice their magic and we make sure the rest of the wolves that are left aren't aloud in town - only in the bayou."

Brianna immediately began to cough while she was in the middle of sipping on her vodka as soon as she heard those words come out of Marcel's mouth. "Excuse me?" Brianna gaped in shock before she interrogated as she sat on the edge of her seat, "did you just say witches and wolves?"

Marcel nodded his head like it was the simplest thing in the world while he took a heavy gulp of his bourbon. "They're all real," the Gerard vampire uttered smoothly as he wanted to keep this calm aura without the human girl freaking out. Marcel was then silent for a moment as he focused on drinking the bourbon before he looked up at Brianna with sadness in his brown orbs and mumbled, "your parents never wanted you involved in all of this. I made a promise to them before they died that I could make sure you never came back here and learned the truth."

"Well, you can't control everything," Brianna muttered out as she tried to console the vampire while she leaned back on comfortable couch with her hands tightly wrapped around her glass of vodka like it is a lifeline. 

"So," Brianna began after a calm silence had settled between them while they got their fill on the sweet nectar of alcohol, "I'm guessing your story yesterday at the bar was all bullshit? To cover up the truth about vampires, witches, and the wolves?" Brianna figured as she was trying to piece everything together. If Marcel promised her parents to get her out of town, then that would mean something was probably after them. Was it a vampire? Witch? Or a wolf?

Marcel let out a sigh as he nodded his head before he mumbled, "it was." The vampire wished his lie would have worked, but he knew he has to tell her the truth before it ends up hurting her. "Your parents were murdered by an angry werewolf that wanted something from them. It happened the same night that I delivered you to the Gilberts," Marcel explained as memories from that night came back to him, when he walked into the Labonair house and found Lauren and Justin both dead with the sound of crying coming from the closet.

Brianna downed the rest of her vodka before she poured the glass to the top of the clear liquid as she absorbed the new and correct information. "Were they even human?" The brunette girl inquired after she, once again, roughly downed the vodka.

"Yes," Marcel lied, "they were only involved because your parents were friends of mine and the werewolf targeted them for that reason." The Gerard vampire wanted to at least keep one secret that would put Brianna in danger. It was the least he could do for Justin and Lauren Labonair when he already failed at keeping their daughter safe.

"Wow," Brianna mumbled in disbelief as she anxiously played with the edge of her grey cardigan. It certainly didn't make her feel any better with knowing the truth - even though she was glad to know the reality of life. It just made her think of another bad death that happened to her parents. Brianna's adopted parents died in a car crash and now her biological parents died at the hand of a supernatural being; a werewolf.

"Marcel, Helen thinks that you are going to take the hot-" the voice of Joe Dalton called out as he came fast walking at a human space with all of things that he had collected, but soon stopped in the middle of his sentence when he noticed the human girl he had met earlier tonight. "Oh, sorry," Joe quickly apologized. 

"It's fine, JD," the Gerard vampire carelessly uttered as he wave his hand before he explained to his friend, "she knows." Marcel then turned around in his chair and glanced over to Joe and told him, "just put her things in the guest room."

Once the vampire/vinyl store owner silently made his way up the staircase with all of the human girl's belongings, Marcel focused back onto the now confused Brianna as she had noticed Joe carrying everything she owned. "I thought it would be safer if you stayed here with me," Marcel explained, "I usually stay at the compound, so no one will bother you here." The vampire then slowly got off his chair and sat in front of Brianna on the glass table before he grabbed her hands. "I made a promise to Justin and Lauren. I will not let anything happen to you," Marcel vowed softly.

Brianna silently nodded her head with unshed tears in her hazel eyes. The brunette girl did agree though, she would feel much safer if she was around Marcel - who she was beginning to realize how protective and loyal he is to her and her biological parents. "I don't know how I can ever thank you," Brianna mumbled wholeheartedly. 

The Gerard vampire squeezed the human girl's hand as he joked, "you can thank me by getting some rest." Marcel then slowly stood up from the glass coffee table before he silently headed towards the old staircase. "We talk more in the morning if you wish to learn more," Marcel uttered as he figured Brianna would still have questions and he didn't want to pile it all on her at one time. "Also, if you plan on leaving, let me know so I can get one my vampires to go with you until I can make an announcement that you are not allowed to be touched," Marcel added as he gave Brianna one last concerned but also protective look before he headed up the staircase for the night.

The Gilbert girl immediately let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding once she was left all alone. It had felt like everything was moving in fast motion while she tried to be strong and understand what was happening, so she hadn't really had a moment to herself. But Brianna soon realized as she sat there was that she didn't like the silence. It just frightened her, so Brianna quickly grabbed the bottle of vodka from the table and decided to go to sleep - so she won't have to see the attack of the vampire replay in her mind anymore.

Once the Gilbert girl swiped the glass bottle of vodka from the coffee table, she slowly made her way towards the staircase as her mind was occupied with scaring thoughts and she just wanted finally get some rest after this long and horrible day. However, as Brianna reached the second floor of Marcel's apartment, she soon slammed into someone - which immediately caused a yelp to leave the human girl's mouth.

"Hey, hey. It's just me," Joe quickly assured the jumpy brunette as he gently held onto Brianna's shoulders to calm her down. Once the Dalton vampire noticed that the human girl had calmed down after realizing she wasn't in any danger, Joe took a step back before he assured her, "you're safe here, Brianna. Marcel and I ain't going to let anything bother you while you're here in N'orleans." Joe then gave the human girl a small smile before he gave her his farewell, "if you ever need anything, just let me know. Good night, Brianna."

The Gilbert girl gave Joe a small smile and whispered, "good night," as she watched him walk out of the apartment.  _At least I know I'll be protected,_ Brianna thought as she has both Marcel and Joe, who are vampires, to keep her safe from the creatures that roam around her hometown. The brunette girl then let out a sigh once she noticed she was left alone, once again, before she slowly walked down the unfamiliar hallway. 

Brianna noticed that there was four doors - two on each side. Brianna didn't want to walk in a room she shouldn't, so she cautiously moved towards the first door that is wide open. "Bathroom," the brunette girl mumbled as she noticed the shower and the sink. She then moved onto the next opened door and sighed in relief when she noticed her things on the large bed.

Brianna took large sip from the bottle of vodka before she placed it onto the small desk that was the closest to the door once she walked into her new sleeping quarters. It isn't as big as her hotel room, Brianna realized, it was more like her bedroom at the Gilbert house - which Brianna liked as it felt more homey. 

The brunette girl took a slow glance around the bedroom and noticed that it was like any other bedroom. There was a bed in the middle, a desk, a tall dresser, two tables on either side of the bed, a rocking chair, and a TV hanging off the wall.  _It's nice,_ Brianna thought. The Gilbert girl then made her way over to the large bed and picked up the black bag that had all of her clothes before she placed it into the rolling desk chair. 

Brianna soon noticed the familiar bags that she had brought at the three stores that she had went to today on top of the desk that she didn't notice earlier. The Gilbert girl sighed thankfully as she had totally forgot about all of her things. Brianna then glanced into the bags and noticed that nothing was broken.  _Joe must have replaced the albums,_ Brianna realized as she remembered hearing the vinyl's break during the vampire attack. 

The Gilbert girl sighed as the memories from what had happened in the alleyway quickly began to play in her mind again. She just wanted to forget it even happened as she never felt afraid like that in her life, so Brianna quickly grabbed the bottle of vodka from the desk before she plopped herself down onto the soft bed. 

Brianna then placed the half bottle of vodka onto the bedside table as she realized she couldn't sleep in the clothes she was in. So Brianna tossed her grey cardigan to the hardwood floors and shimmied out of her skinny jeans, after she kicked off her boots, before she finally got underneath the covers for the night with the bottle of alcohol cradled in her hand while she stared up at the dark ceiling.

A loud huff escaped the the brunette girl's mouth after a moment of lying there in silence as her mind just couldn't seem to shut off. There was just too many thoughts running through Brianna's head. The fact that vampires, witches, and werewolves are real is what is mostly that Brianna is thinking it about. She just never even thought for a second that it could be real. It's like her life is Teen Wolf or True Blood now. 

Brianna knew she had two choices to make, though. She figured that is why Marcel told her to get some rest. She could either stay in New Orleans and learn all there is to about the supernatural beings that run around her hometown or she could go back to Mystic Falls and be ignorant to the dangers that are really happening.

The Gilbert girl quickly shook her head as she made up her mind once she took another long sip of her vodka. There was no way she could leave. Brianna's biological parents were killed by werewolves and that means she was suppose to figure out the supernatural one way or the other.  _I'm not running from it,_ Brianna promised herself as her hazel eyes slowly began to close on the own and allowed the brunette girl to finally rest peacefully for the night with her protector, Marcel Gerard, right next door.


	5. CHAPTER 4

It was about eight-thirty in the morning when a loud and raspy groan sounded through the silent and chilly bedroom that faced the famous French Quarter as soon as the bright sun began to shine through the spaces between the dark blue curtains and onto the hungover Brianna Gilbert. The brunette girl rubbed her hand down her face as she could feel the headache growing before a frown instantly lifted up onto her features once she felt something cold in her other hand. Brianna immediately rolled her hazel eyes when she saw the empty bottle of vodka that she briefly remembered downing before she had fallen asleep last night.  _No wonder I have a killer headache,_ the brunette girl thought as she closed her eyes and began to rub her temples.

The Gilbert girl sat in the middle of the bed for a couple more minutes while she massaged her head until she threw herself back onto the soft pillow and pulled the dark blue blanket over her eyes as she realized the bright sun was just making her headache even worse than it already was. Brianna then laid their in a comfortable silence as she tried to piece everything that has happened lately together. However, Brianna just couldn't understand why she was in some random bed as her mind wouldn't work correctly thanks to the full bottle of alcohol that she had drank.

Finally, though, after lying in the large bed for about ten minutes with her hazel eyes closed and no sound bothering her, Brianna released a heavy groan as she remembered exactly what happened last night when the memories began to flash behind her eyelids. It made the brunette girl's mood instantly change from the one worrying and annoyed by her hangover to one dedicated and focused to know what was going on in her birth town as she could still feel the cold hands of that vampire that had attacked her and the caring eyes of Marcel, who had ultimately saved her from an early death. 

_When did my life get so crazy?_ Brianna thought to herself as she finally pushed herself out of the comfortable bed and placed her bare feet onto the cold hardwood floors as she knew that she had to get up and figure everything out for herself. The brunette girl squinted her hazel eyes once she was finally on her feet before she tiredly moved towards the large window and the blaring sun before she swiftly pulled the curtains together. "That's better," Brianna mumbled to herself along with a sigh of relief now that the sun wasn't causing her head to hurt as much before she made her way over to her bag of clothes to get ready for the day.

The Gilbert girl rumbled through her clothes for a few minutes before she finally settled on a black crop top, a pair of jean shorts, and a lightly grey cardigan. Brianna knew her outfit was a mixture of summer and fall wear but she knew that it was hot outside, if the bright sun was any indication, and she wanted to wear something light but something that could also keep her warm encase she happened to get cold today. The brunette girl then moved her clothes around in her bag once she was dressed as she looked for her hangover accessories. 

"There you are," Brianna mumbled before she slipped on a white baseball cap that had a small lemon in the middle on top of her messy brunette hair and placed a pair of dark sunglasses on the front of her crop top.  _Thank you, Caroline Forbes,_ the Gilbert girl mentally thanked her best friend for instilling into her to always pack her hangover accessories - which consisted of a ball cap and sunglasses, for whenever she goes on a trip or when she knows that she'll end up drinking as it always comes in handy.

Once Brianna finally had her lazy outfit all put together, the Gilbert girl placed a strong and confident expression onto her face before she slowly began to walk towards the door of her temporarily bedroom. Brianna knew that she needed to be brave now that she is going to be involved in the supernatural word. She couldn't be that ignorant, scared teenage girl anymore like she was last night and all her life. Brianna knew that she was brought up in the supernatural world for a reason, hell, her mom and dad went against an angry werewolf, so she wasn't just going to back down and cower away before running back home to Mystic Falls. She was going to be strong like she knew her parents would want her to be and fight whatever gets in her way.

The Gilbert girl grabbed ahold of the handle to the door and took a deep breath to relax her running mind before she finally exited the bedroom for the first time once she was ready to face her new life. Brianna then cautiously and quietly walked down the long hallway and carefully made her way down the staircase as she tried to judge if Marcel was awake or if someone else was here. However, luckily for Brianna, she didn't see or hear anyone but she did smell something.

Brianna couldn't help but quickly jog the rest of the way down the stairs to see what was cooking as she realized just how hungry she is since she only had a coffee early yesterday afternoon and a whole bottle of vodka for dinner once her stomach began to growl. The Gilbert girl then walked through the spacious living room once she had a plan in mind to fill her stomach up before she entered the kitchen, where she instantly spotted Marcel standing over the stove.

 "So, you guys can eat regular food?" Brianna curiously questioned as she alerted Marcel to her presence, even though she figured that he already knew that she was there - thanks to whatever other abilities vampires have besides being able to travel at incredible speed and being able to kill someone within a second. The Gilbert girl knew close to nothing about Marcel's kind, so it surprised her that he was actually cooking. Brianna had just always thought that vampires only needed blood to survive like in the movies.

The Gerard vampire chuckled at the human girl, who didn't have the slightest clue about vampires, from his position in front of the pan of sizzling bacon. "We don't need to eat but we can if we want," Marcel explained to Brianna once he heard her fully enter the kitchen before she began to walk around from behind him. The kitchen was then overcome by a calm silence as Marcel placed the bacon evenly on two plates and while the human girl absorbed that small piece of information about vampires before the Gerard supernatural being called out to Brianna, "you are surprisingly doing better this morning after just finding about the existence of vampires."

Brianna carelessly lifted her shoulders in a shrugging motion before she slowly followed after Marcel as he began to walk towards a small and round kitchen table with the two white plates. "Well, there's really no point in being scared or ignoring it when I've basically been involved since I was born," the Gilbert girl told the brown eyed vampire before she took a seat at the kitchen table and leaned the side of her head into the palm of her hand with a small and tired sigh. 

The Gerard vampire didn't comment on the human girl's statement that immediately made Marcel glad that she handling everything so well. Instead, he silently placed the two plates filled with bacon, eggs, and homemade waffles on the kitchen table before he vamp sped to grab two cups of coffee before he brought them to the table as well. Marcel then finally took his spot across from the brunette girl before he told her with a large grin, "you are just like your father, Justin." The supernatural being shook his head with a small chuckle before he explained what he meant by that, "Justin was a very stubborn but headstrong person and he never let anything stop him from getting what he wanted."

Brianna silently nodded her head with a small smile before she took a tiny sip of the hot but heavenly cup of coffee while she absorbed the slither of a detail about her biological father. It definitely explained why she never gave up or backed down unlike her two siblings; Elena and Jeremy. She knew she should of known something was wrong since her adopted parents weren't like that either. She was always different from the Gilbert family as they were all mellow and calm-headed. The brunette girl quickly looked back up at Marcel after a moment of silence as she wanted to know more about her biological father before she asked, "can you tell me more about my parents?"

Marcel stared across at the human girl for a moment as he took in her sharp features that reminded him so much of Brianna's mother, Lauren, before he released a small sigh and nodded his head. The Gerard vampire knew Brianna had the right to know about her family but it was always hard for him to talk about the Labonair family since he had a very close relationship with them. It was the main reason why banished werewolves from entering the city so something like their attack never happens again. 

"You might will want this," the Gerard vampire told the human girl once he agreed to speak about her parents as he grabbed the decanter of bourbon from the middle of the table and placed it beside their cups of coffee.  _I sure will,_ Marcel thought to himself as he knew this won't be the easiest thing that he has ever done. 

The Gilbert girl didn't even hesitate before she picked up the bottle of bourbon and poured a heavy amount of amber liquid into her dark coffee. If yesterday was any indication that the information that she will learn in New Orleans will be hard for her then Brianna wanted to be prepared.  _Anyways, alcohol is the best way to cure a hangover,_ Brianna reminded herself before she took a large sip and slowly ate on a slice of bacon as she waited for Marcel to begin the story of her biological parents.

The Gerard vampire carefully watched the human girl for a few minutes of calm silence as he made sure that she actually ate something today since he had heard her stomach growl from the staircase and he wanted to make sure that she was okay. Marcel knew this was going to be a lot to handle, despite how strong Brianna was already proving, along with the fact that he wanted Brianna to have all the information that she came looking for before she has the chance to skip town. Marcel did want Brianna to go back to Mystic Falls since it's safer there, but he wanted her to be well protected with knowledge encase there was the off chance of her running into a vampire again.

"Justin, your father, was from a very strong and powerful family in the heart of New Orleans," Marcel began with the origin behind Brianna's true last name, Labonair, after he watched the human girl take a couple of bites from her eggs. "The Labonair family were very important back in the day. However, after that night - they all just disappeared," the Gerard vampire partly lied with a shake of his head as the rest of the Labonair members were murdered expect for two - one being Brianna. "Your father grew up right here in town his whole life before he became an architect. He built a lot of the buildings that surround the town during the early eighties up until his death," Marcel continued with the story of Justin Labonair's life before he moved on to Lauren as he began, "your mother was also originally from New Orleans. She came from a small family called the Broussard's. She and your father got married when they were about nineteen before she started a career at -"

"At Cafe Sbisa," Brianna interrupted the Gerard vampire's story as that was one of the only answers that she knew about her biological mother thanks to the man at the vinyl store. The Gilbert girl let out a small chuckle once she saw Marcel's confused expression before she explained how she knew that information, "Joe mentioned it to me while I was at his shop yesterday."

Marcel immediately rolled his brown eyes and muttered, "of course he did." The Gerard vampire took a sip of his bourbon spiked coffee before he stated, "JD had always adored your mother ever since I introduced both of your parents to him at a party." Marcel shook his head in amusement before he commented, "but I think it's because Lauren used to always bring him these fancy ass meals from that french restaurant she worked at."

Brianna couldn't help but let out another small chuckle as she could picture the Dalton vampire falling in love with her mother's cooking from the way that she had seen Joe act and talk around her. She could also tell that her mother was a very caring woman if she willingly brought vampires food even though they didn't actually need it. It was nice to know this small detail about the woman that she would never see and Brianna didn't want the information to stop, so she asked Marcel once she had finished her eggs, "how did you come to meet my parents?" 

"There was a war brewing between the vampires and the werewolves back in the early nineties and your mother, Lauren, tried to play the human peacemaker between the two species," Marcel immediately began to explain about how he had met the Labonair couple but while leaving out the fact that Lauren was a werewolf as he knew that would only cause for more questions that Marcel promised that he would never mention to the human girl. 

"You see, things were the same back in the day as they are now for New Orleans with the fact that supernatural beings lived freely through the city," the Gerard vampire uttered as he continued with his story while leaving out small bits of information, "but one night, Lauren caught the attention of a werewolf, who was angry over someone trying to joint the two species together." Marcel shook his head as he remembered the day he met the brunette, brave woman before he told Brianna, "luckily for your mother, I happened to be close by and I saved her from being killed by the angry werewolf." Marcel took a drink of his coffee before he told Brianna how he met Justin, "once I made sure Lauren was okay, I took her home, where I met your father. Justin was eternally grateful for what I did since your mother was carrying you at the time."

Brianna's hazel eyes instantly widened as soon as she caught that last snip of information about how Marcel met her parents. "Wow," the Gilbert girl mumbled as she couldn't believe her mother, Lauren Labonair, took on a werewolf while she was pregnant. "Damn, my mom was a badass," Brianna couldn't help but comment as she was so shocked by the toughness of her mother.

"That she was," Marcel agreed without a second thought as he had seen it first hand how strong and badass Lauren was. Even though Marcel had left out the fact that Brianna's mother was a werewolf and was actually pregnant with twins, he could still tell that Brianna was envisioning her like the woman Lauren was. "She was very, very strong and she always tried to fix the world for the greater good. Lauren only wished to make New Orleans safer for her daughter," Marcel further explained the type of woman Lauren was before he murmured, "but it just didn't work out with so many of the wolves not wanting to join forces with us vampires."

"Wait," Brianna mumbled as a thought suddenly popped into her head from the second conversation that she had with Marcel when he told her that her parents were killed by a wolf. "Was the guy that attacked my mom when you first met her, the same werewolf that ultimately killed my parents?" The Gilbert girl inquired.

Marcel shook his head and uttered, "no, he wasn't the same guy." The Gerard vampire then leaned back in his chair as he relaxed after he finished his breakfast before he explained who had attacked Lauren on that night, "it was one of his loyal minions that were following his orders. He was the alpha of a wolf pack, so he had many people trying to mess up this treaty that your mother tried to get resolved so New Orleans would be safe for humans, vampires, and werewolves." 

Marcel purposely left out the name of the werewolf's pack as he knew Brianna could figure out her connection to the werewolves since her real origin is connected with the Crescent Moon pack. However, Marcel promised the human girl's parents that he wouldn't tell her about that side of her family since Justin and Lauren wanted their daughters to have a normal life without worrying about their safety.  _At least Father Kieran made sure Andrea went to a good and normal family,_ the Gerard vampire thought as he only had to worry about one of the Labonair girls. 

Brianna silently nodded her head as she bit down on her bottom lip before she quickly took a large gulp of her bourbon and coffee mixture as she realized that Marcel had been right. It was difficult to hear about someone, a werewolf, that had targeted her innocent mother, who just wanted to make New Orleans a better place for everyone before actually ending it all by killing her parents. 

The Gerard vampire could see that the brunette girl was struggling like he figured she would after learning about the accident that caused his friendship with the two alpha werewolves, so Marcel decided to change up on the conversation by speaking about something lighter. "You know, I was there when you were born," the brown eyed supernatural being told Brianna as he shot her a large grin. 

Brianna's hazel eyes slightly widened in surprise before she wondered with a small chuckle, "really?" The human girl was honestly shocked that the vampire had been there during a private moment for her mother and father. "You were that close to my parents that they allowed you to be in the delivery room?" Brianna inquired with a raised eyebrow as she couldn't believe how close Marcel had been to her parents.

Marcel let out a heavy and loud laugh as he shook his head before he mumbled, "well, we didn't actually make it to the hospital." The Gerard vampire shook his head as he remembered the memory of the birth of the Labonair twins. "It was early June," Marcel began to tell Brianna the story of her birth, "and your mother was about to pop any second, so being the wonderful friend I was, I decided to stay with Lauren while your father was working on designing a library about forty minutes away from the house." The vampire chuckled as he commented, "we were supposed to go to the hospital once Justin finished up some last minute details but the next thing Lauren and I knew, your head and cries were being welcomed into the world."

"Wow," Brianna mumbled as she stared across at Marcel with amusement in her hazel eyes. The Gilbert girl couldn't help but find her whole birth hilarious since she literally just slipped out without any help or doctors. However, Brianna also felt that she was seeing the vampire and her parents' friendship in a new light - if the fact that her father trusted Marcel, a vampire, to keep his wife and unborn daughter safe was any indication by just how close they actually were.  "You cared a lot about them, didn't you?" Brianna softly asked as she could see a lot of hidden and deep emotions in Marcel's brown eyes.

The Gerard vampire silently nodded his head before he murmured, "I did." Marcel then ran his fingers along his buzzed hair while he briefly closed his brown eyes as he remembered his time with Lauren and Justin before he told the young girl, "your parents were my best friends since the moment I saved Lauren on that day and because of how close we all three were, your mother made me promise them something the second I held you in my arms as you breathed in your first breath of air."

Marcel gave Brianna a small smile as he stared at her familiar features that reminded him of both Lauren and Justin for a moment before he continued, "I promised them that I would get you out of this city if something were to happen to them. Justin and Lauren wanted a better life for you that didn't involve vampires, werewolves, or witches so that is why I was luckily enough to find Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, who had always wanted a baby girl." The Gerard vampire slightly shrugged his shoulders before he stated, "they were nice people and I knew your parents would have approved. But above all, I wanted to make sure that you went to a good home because you deserved the best." Marcel let out a small chuckle before he told Brianna, "I got put under your spell the second I looked into your hazel eyes and I just knew that I had to protect you and, even though I was in charge of New Orleans, I couldn't allow you to be raised here. I wanted the best for you and I wanted you to have a normal childhood."

The Gilbert girl gave the vampire a warm smile that showed her gratitude for all Marcel had obviously done for her. "I'm sure they would be proud of you for keeping that promise," Brianna consoled the supernatural being before she added, "and I'm grateful for what you did." The brunette took a drink of her coffee before she told him, "I had a good childhood with people that loved and cared about me, so thank you."

Marcel shrugged his shoulders like he was indifferent to her compliment before he swiftly got up from the round kitchen table while he grabbed the two empty plates and the two coffee cups. "It was the least I could do for Lauren and Justin. I just wished it would have worked longer," the Gerard vampire mumbled before he took the dishes to the sink and began to silently wash them.

Brianna watched Marcel's figure with the side of her head leaning into her palm as she observed the vampire.  _He feels guilty,_ the human girl came to the realization. She didn't know if it was because she found out the truth and she was back in the supernatural filled town or because he felt like he could have done something to save her parents. The human girl really thought Marcel done everything he could from his story about her parents, so she decided to move away from this sulking as she stood up from the table. "Do you think you could show me some places around the city where my parents used to frequent?" Brianna inquired as she wanted to get over this slump that she could feel radiating from Marcel along with the fact that she wanted to feel closer to her parents. 

The Gerard vampire dried his hands on a dark red dish towel before he turned around and leaned his back against the kitchen counter. "Yeah, of course, whatever you need," Marcel told the human girl with a small smile on his face. The brown eyed supernatural being would do whatever he could to help Brianna understand the parents that she sadly never got the chance to meet. Marcel didn't know if Brianna planned on leaving New Orleans or sticking around but he wanted her to have all the information that she desires before she makes that decision. 

"Just give me five minutes and we can leave," Marcel told the human girl before he made his exit out of the kitchen once he saw Brianna nod her head in agreement and headed straight to his study. The Gerard vampire then headed over to his desk and grabbed a small picture that laid on the left corner. Marcel looked at the image with a small smile on his face as he stared down at his two closest friends that he had lately been missing terribly. "I won't let anything happen to Chloe," Marcel whispered as he gazed at the smiling faces of Lauren and Justin Labonair before he placed the small picture into the pocket of his jeans and headed back out to the human girl to show Brianna who her parents were. 

* * *

It took about fifteen minutes of Marcel and Brianna walking through the streets of the French Quarter while they spoke about different things like Brianna's soccer career in Mystic Falls, the different abilities vampires have, and the deep and rich cultural of New Orleans before the Gerard vampire slowly came to a stop in front of an old three story building with the name 'Cafe Sbisa' written brightly in gold letters. 

"And here she is," Marcel exclaimed as he pointed his arm towards one of the oldest buildings in New Orleans like he was on the Price Is Right and was showcasing a brand new car. "This is where Lauren used to spend most of her days making the people of N'Orleans happy with her french cuisine," the Gerard vampire told the human girl before he opened up the wooden door of the restaurant and allowed Brianna to enter the establishment. 

"Wow," Brianna breathed out as she glanced at the bottom layer of the three story restaurant. "This place is gorgeous," the human girl commented as she slowly walked up to the four-sided bar and ran her fingers across the smooth mahogany wood while she gazed up at the beautiful painting of people from the 1920's dancing directly where she was currently standing that hung over the large expensive supply of alcohol. 

The Gerard vampire silently watched the human girl walk around the bottom layer of the restaurant with a soft smile playing across his lips as he knew this would help Brianna feel closer to her mother by visiting the one place Lauren spent most of her time. "The staff won't be arriving until five for dinner service," Marcel informed the human girl before he told you, "so feel free to explore anywhere you would like."

Brianna glanced over at the Gerard vampire and nodded her head before she slowly walked around the place that her biological mother had walked through. The Gilbert girl didn't know that this place would effect her so much but it definitely was as she slowly walked through the long hallway before she stopped at the double doors of the kitchen. Brianna took a deep breath before she pushed open the doors and entered her mother's work space. 

The human girl had been in a restaurant's kitchen before like the one back in Mystic Falls at Mystic Grill but this time was different. For one, it was much larger than the one in the small town in Virginia but also because Brianna felt like she could actually feel her biological mother's presence as she walked over to cook line. However, Brianna felt frozen in her spot when she noticed a small plaque with her mother's name on it.

"I had that made a few months after Lauren's passing," Marcel softly told the brunette girl as he knew exactly what she was looking at. "Lauren was so important to this place and the city, so it only felt right to have a small remembrance for her in the place that she stood and worked for hours," the Gerard vampire further explained as he also stared at the words that read ~  _'In Memory of Executive Chef Lauren Labonair.'_

"That was nice of you," Brianna quietly murmured as she kept her hazel eyes locked on the small plaque before she slowly lifted her hand over the steel counter and ran her fingers lightly across the letters of her mother's name. The brunette girl wasn't expecting this at all when she had walked into the kitchen. Brianna knew that she would feel something but she felt like her emotions were all over the place now that she was standing in her mother's spot while staring at her name. 

"Come on," Marcel uttered after they stood in the same place for over fifteen minutes while he gave Brianna all the time that she needed. However, when the vampire could see the human girl was having a hard time by the way he could hear her heart pounding in her chest and the shaking of her fingers against the plaque, Marcel wanted to get Brianna out of here. "I have two other places that I wanna show you," the Gerard vampire told the human girl before he lightly placed his hand onto Brianna's back and slowly directed her out of the kitchen and out of the french restaurant. 

The vampire and human duo then silently walked in tranquility down Decatur Street for about six minutes as they were both absorbed in their thoughts of Lauren Labonair until Marcel directed Brianna down a set of stairs and they came to a stop in front of a large opened space. "This is Washington Artillery Park," the Gerard vampire told Brianna before he explained as he pointed towards a large canon statue, "this is where the Battle of New Orleans took place and since Justin was really into all that history stuff, he always came here."

Brianna ran her hand across the large statue for a moment before she glanced over to Marcel with a raised eyebrow. "Is that why this place is so important?" The human girl inquired before she glanced around them and noticed a large white Catholic church behind the canon along with a large field by the water with benches, BBQ pits, and a beautiful gazebo sitting in the middle of the park. 

"Well, sort of," Marcel uttered before he walked away from the statue and towards the grassy field with Brianna following closely to hear the story of the park. "Justin loved this place because of the history but that isn't why it's important," the Gerard vampire told the human girl once he came to a stop by an old oak tree. Marcel shook his head with a chuckle as he stated, "Justin, that cheap and romantic bastard, took Lauren here on their first date when they were sixteen, where they instantly fell in love."

A small smile lifted onto Brianna's face at the small tale of how her parents had first gotten together. "How do you know that story?" The Gilbert girl curiously inquired since she remembered Marcel didn't meet her parents until way later in their life when they were married with a child on the way.

Marcel playfully rolled his brown eyes as he had listened to the Labonair couple's love story over a million of times in the year that he grew to be best friends with the werewolves before he told the human girl, "Justin would mention it almost every single day." The Gerard vampire then walked closer towards the oak tree and pointed his finger at a carving in the wood to show the truth that he was speaking about.

The Gilbert girl became curious at what Marcel was pointing at, so she slowly walked towards the large oak tree and followed the Gerard vampire's finger, where she instantly noticed a set of letters in the oak tree from a pocket knife that read,  _L.B. + J.L. 1985'_. "Damn," Brianna mumbled to herself as it was crazy to imagine that her parents had been in love since they were teenagers. It, however, saddened Brianna's heart, though, as she could only imagine the loving family that they could have had together if her parents hadn't been murdered. It just made Brianna realize what she was missing out on - not that she wasn't happy with her life with the Gilbert family as she was definitely grateful for the childhood Miranda and Grayson gave her.

"Anyway," Marcel began after a moment of silence before he continued with the story of the importance of Washington Artillery Park, "Justin always told me that they had a pact. They would come here to this spot once a year for their anniversary." The Gerard vampire then gently pulled out the photo that he had taken from his office and stared at it while he told Brianna, "but then in 1990, Lauren found out that they were pregnant and they swore that they would always bring you here, too." Marcel handed over the picture to Brianna as he concluded with a small chuckle, "as soon as your dad came home from work when you were born, they didn't even bother going to hospital after the home birth. They came straight here on your first day alive to have you experience the first place that they fell in love."  

_Mom and dad,_ Brianna mumbled to herself as she stared at the very first image that she had ever seen of her parents. "They look so happy," the brunette girl told Marcel while she kept her hazel eyes glued to the photo. Brianna first stared at her father and his mop of brown hair, who was staring into her mother's hazel eyes that matched her own while they both had their hands planted on her mother's blue polka dot dress that showed the obvious baby bump. 

"They were," Marcel affirmed to the young girl while he watched her features that were calm but also very emotional. The Gerard vampire could understand why, though, as he figured this was the first time that Brianna was seeing Lauren and Justin along with the fact that she was learning all this stuff about the parents that she doesn't even remember because she was only a few weeks old when they were killed. "They loved each other, this city, and you very much," Marcel softly told the brunette girl.

Brianna silently nodded her head as she kept her hazel eyes locked on the photo while her back was leaning against the writing that her father had craved into the oak tree. The Gilbert girl felt that she was finally getting a real image of her parents over these last two days. The story from Joe Dalton had let Brianna know that her mother was very caring by always wanting Joe and Marcel to have food - even though they are vampires and didn't need food. Brianna also could tell that her mother loved her job at the french restaurant by the way that they had a plaque in her honor along with the story Marcel had explained how her mother tried to keep the piece in New Orleans between all the species. It showed that her mother was strong, brave, and willing to do whatever it took to give her family a safe life. Brianna knew from her father, Justin, that he was a history buff - like she was. The Gilbert girl also realized that he was a very loving man and a romantic if the tree that she was leaning on and the story that Marcel had mentioned was any indication. Brianna realized he was a honorable man, too, since he and Marcel became fast friends after the vampire had saved his wife and unborn child from that werewolf. 

These thoughts that Brianna was going through of the things that she knew about her parents, it was good for her since she didn't even know anything about them - but it made the brunette girl feel so emotional because she didn't get to know these amazing people. Brianna felt, no matter how bad the thought was, that it would have been better if they had been shitty people so she didn't miss them so much when she didn't even have a single memory of them. It was stupid, in Brianna's opinion, but she couldn't help but feel her heartbreak at the people that would never get to watch her grow up.

The Gilbert girl furrowed her brows after a moment as she stared at the clear stain on the photo before she rolled her hazel eyes when she noticed that she had started crying.  _Stupid emotions,_ Brianna thought as she quickly wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her grey cardigan. The human girl then grabbed her dark sunglasses from her crop top and placed them over her tear-stricken eyes to hide the pesky emotions before she took a deep breath and faced Marcel. "You mentioned that you had another place to show me," Brianna mumbled as she addressed the vampire to hopefully to stop the tears from coming again. 

Marcel carefully watched the human girl for a moment before he finally nodded his head as he realized Brianna wanted to leave from this spot from all of the unknown emotions that she was experiencing. The Gerard vampire didn't want the human girl to feel uncomfortable, so he pointed towards the direction that they had came from before he told Brianna, "yeah, it's just around the corner."

Brianna silently nodded her head while she tried to get control of her shaky body that was still reeling from all the information she had been learning today about her biological parents. The Gilbert girl then took another deep breath once she felt calm enough to move before she held her hand out to give the picture back to Marcel.

The Gerard vampire quickly shook his head as he told Brianna, "you should keep it." Marcel let out a low chuckle when he saw that the human girl wasn't sure by her tense stance and the way she chewed on her bottom lip before he assured Brianna, "I have plenty of pictures of them at my place, so I want you to have that one." The brown eyed supernatural being then placed his arm over Brianna's shoulder once he saw her hazel-sunglasses-covered eyes look back down at the image of her parents before he murmured as he lead the human girl out of the park, "come on."

The vampire and the human duo walked down the street of New Orleans to the last location Marcel wanted to show Brianna while the aforementioned vampire mentioned small and funny stories about Justin and Lauren to their daughter. Marcel was glad that the small stories were putting a smile on Brianna's face as he didn't want her to hate coming to her hometown in New Orleans because of all the sadness that she was feeling. Marcel, since Brianna knew about the supernatural, wanted Brianna to feel like she could always come back here whenever she wanted, so the Gerard vampire hoped that she would feel that way whenever she decides to go back to Mystic Falls.

"I-Is that my parents' name?" Brianna surprisingly asked with her shakily voice back when Marcel had pulled her into a stop in front of a beautifully built building that was designed like it was a Catholic church like all the other ones Brianna had seen in New Orleans. Brianna wanted to admire the building more but she couldn't help but to be puzzled by the name on the large sign. However, Brianna figured Marcel had something to do with it like he did at Cafe Sbisa. 

Marcel nodded his head as he lightly squeezed Brianna's shoulder to show that he was there for her before he walked up the steps to the large building. "This is the building your father had been working on when you were born," the Gerard vampire told the human girl. "It's the biggest library in the whole state of Louisiana," Marcel proudly exclaimed as he was proud to have that accomplishment next to his deceased best friend's name.

Brianna immediately rose an eyebrow through her dark sunglasses in shock that the building was filled of books instead of pews. "A library?" The human girl voiced her surprise as she couldn't believe this place was a library. It looked nothing like a library so Brianna was definitely shocked but also impressed that her father had created this place.

Marcel let out a small chuckle before he explained, "yeah, Justin wanted the building to look like all the other ones in New Orleans. He wanted it to fit in with the culture of the city, so he designed the outside to look like a church with the Gothic exterior." The Gerard vampire walked up the small set of stairs with Brianna by his side before he stopped in front of a sign that was the same as the large one in front of the building that Brianna had first saw. "Your father said this was his favorite creation, so I thought it would only be right to name it after him and your mother."

Brianna locked her hazel eyes on the sign that hung to the side of the two double doors once she saw what Marcel was looking at and noticed that it was like the one that she had seen when they had first stopped as it read it; ' _The Labonair Library of New Orleans'_. Brianna also noticed that in beautiful cursive under the title it read,  _'In loving memory of Justin and Lauren Labonair'_. The brunette girl slowly brought her hand up to the sign like she did at Cafe Sbisa and softly ran her fingers over the writing before she whispered with unshed tears, "it's beautiful."

"Wait until you see the inside," Marcel exclaimed with a wide grin before he placed his hand onto Brianna's back to lead her away from the sign dedicated to her parents as he didn't want to make her cry again. Marcel wanted the human girl to feel closer to Justin and Lauren instead of sad, so the Gerard vampire directed Brianna inside of the library.

"Holy crap," Brianna couldn't help but mutter after she slipped her sunglasses back onto her crop top and looked at the amazing details that surrounded the entrance of the library. The place was absolutely gorgeous. There was so much details with the high ceiling and the glass windows that were covered in paintings. Brianna slowly walked over to a space towards the right in the library, where there was about ten cherry wooden tables sitting below the second level of the building as she continued to admire the place. 

"Your father had the idea of making this portion of the library as a restaurant for your mother," Marcel explained to Brianna as he watched her twirl around while she stared at the bright colors of the paintings on the ceiling. The Gerard vampire smoothly moved passed the tables and towards a side door, where he showed Brianna the kitchen set up. "Lauren never knew about it since it was going to be a surprise once Justin could finish it," Marcel softly uttered with a hint of sadness in his voice before he faced Brianna with a gentle smile. "I decided to not do anything with the kitchen since I could never find it in myself to hire someone to cook," Marcel told the young girl as he felt the small space belonged to Lauren Labonair and no one else.

Brianna furrowed her brows as she stared into the vampire's brown eyes. "You own the place?" The brunette girl curiously inquired as she noticed the way Marcel said he himself decided to not use the kitchen. It made Brianna realize that maybe Marcel had something more to do with the library besides being best friends with the architect. 

Marcel nodded his head with a small sigh. "Justin had it put into my name if something was to happen to him," the vampire stated before he mumbled, "I just never thought something would happen." Marcel then quickly shook his head after a second as he pushed those thoughts away before he uttered, "I knew what your father wanted to do with the place, so I had it finished for him."

The Gilbert girl squeezed Marcel's lower arm as she could see that, like her, was getting controlled by his emotions before she moved out of the restaurant portion of the library and headed towards the aisles of bookshelves. Brianna slowly ran her fingers over the backs of the books as she absorbed the tranquility of the quiet library. It was one of the reasons why Brianna had always adored libraries because of the calmness that it carried. It had always been like a safe haven for the brunette girl back in Mystic Falls when she was stressing and she could see her father's library has the same effect.

"So, is the place just in your name or do you run it, too?" The Gilbert girl quietly and curiously inquired after a few minutes of her and Marcel exploring the huge library without interrupting any of the people that surrounded them. Brianna was surprised but happy that there was so many people here as she felt proud that her father's creation had taken off even after his death. 

"Oh, no," Marcel quickly denied before he explained, "I couldn't possibly run this place while also running New Orleans." The Gerard vampire then pointed towards the front desk to the left of them, where an older woman sat and stated, "Mrs. Rollins over there is who is in charge of the library." Marcel walked towards the woman as he further explained, "she is the only one I trust to make sure this place keeps its shape that Justin would have wanted since she was the closest thing Lauren had as a mother."

Brianna glanced at the older woman with short and curly gray hair before she looked up at Marcel with confusion in her hazel eyes as she didn't really think about her other family like her parents' parents. "Was my grandma not around when my mom was growing up?" The brunette girl inquired as she was curious about the relationship her mother had with her mother.

"Holly Broussard, your grandmother, died when Lauren was ten to lung cancer," Marcel quietly explained as he remembered Lauren telling him the story one night when he was at the Labonair house. He and Lauren had been talking about their families over dinner while Justin was at work and after Marcel had mentioned that he had been adopted by Niklaus Mikaelson after his parents died, Lauren had explained how her mother had died when she was younger to the smoker's disease.

Brianna silently nodded her head as she could understand why her mother had been close to the older woman since she didn't really have her own mother after the age of ten. If Brianna didn't have Miranda Gilbert in her life while growing up, she would had probably sought out her own mother figure - which would have came in the form of her best friend's mother; Sheriff Elizabeth Forbes. 

"Hello, Mrs. Rollins," the Gerard vampire greeted the older woman once he and Brianna had reached the large desk. The woman was one of the only humans Marcel hadn't compelled or threatened over his reign of New Orleans because of the close relationship that she had with his deceased best friend - which ultimately caused him to have her in charge of the place as he trusted her to care for Justin's creation.

"Oh! Hello, Marcel, sweetheart!" The older woman greeted the vampire with a large grin spread across her aged face. "How are you today?" Mrs. Rollins honestly wondered as she stood up from her desk and slowly walked around it until she was standing in front of the tall vampire before she pulled him into a hug like she always did when he would show up.

"I'm swell, Mrs. Rollins," the Gerard vampire politely answered the older woman's question before he pointed his hand towards the silent human girl. "I would like you to meet someone," Marcel told the older woman before he introduced the brunette teenager, "this is Brianna - Justin and Lauren's biological daughter."

"Oh, my!" Mrs. Rollins gasped as she stared at the young girl, who was a spitting image of Lauren. "I always wondered when I would finally meet you, sweetheart," the older woman murmured as she remembered the worried Marcel coming to her with what he should do with the twins before she pulled Lauren's daughter into a tight hug. Mrs. Rollins then softly placed her hands onto Brianna's cheeks once she broke the embrace before she uttered, "you are absolutely gorgeous, my sweet."

Brianna let out a nervous and small chuckle before she praised the older woman, "thank you." The brunette girl felt a little awkward hugging the woman since she never seen her before but Brianna could tell that she was nice and really caring by how she was speaking along with the fact that she was working at the place that was dedicated to Lauren, who she obviously loved like her own child. 

"Brianna is in town for a bit to learn about Justin and Lauren, so I thought I would introduce her to Lauren's surrogate mother," Marcel uttered as he broke the small silence that had settled between the three of them once he had noticed the human girl's nervous stance. 

"Well, it was lovely meeting you, dear," the older woman told the brunette teenager with a wide smile spread across her aged face before she told her as Mrs. Rollins lightly touched Brianna's lower arm, "feel free to stop by whenever you want!" 

Brianna nodded her head with a thankful smile as she told the older woman, "I will." The brunette girl then watched as Mrs. Rollins gave her and Marcel another smile before she headed back to her desk. "I can see why you allowed her to be in charge here," Brianna told the Gerard vampire once they slowly walked towards the entrance of the library. The Gilbert girl knew just from meeting the woman that she was a perfect fit for her father's library.

"She's sweet," Marcel uttered with a nod of his head as he agreed with Brianna, "and she's trustworthy. She keeps the place running and in top shape while I keep her safe from any of the hungry vampires." The Gerard vampire and the human girl then silently walked out of the library before Marcel and Brianna began to walk down the street of New Orleans. "I know Mrs. Rollins won't be around forever, so I want to let you know this place is yours whenever your ready," Marcel softly told the human girl as they turned the corner and headed back to his apartment.

"Um, excuse me?" Brianna gaped in surprise as she was definitely thrown off by the vampire's statement. "What do you mean its mine?" The human girl inquired as she took a quick glance over at Marcel before she stated with confusion in her voice, "I thought you said my dad signed it all over to you."

Marcel let out a soft chuckle before he explained as they passed by a couple of vintage shops, "it is mine, but it doesn't belong to me." The Gerard vampire gently and briefly squeezed Brianna's hand before he continued, "the library deserves to be run by a Labonair and all I am saying is that it should belong to the last Labonair." Marcel glanced over to the brunette girl and gave her an easy smile before he concluded, "you don't even have to say yes right now. I'm just saying it's yours and it doesn't matter if you want it tomorrow, five years from now or even ten but it will always be yours when you're ready."

The Gilbert girl silently nodded her head as she thought over Marcel's explanation for a moment before she gave the Gerard vampire a small smile and uttered, "I'll keep that in mind for the future." Brianna honestly wouldn't mind taking over the library as she loves history and learning new things but she didn't feel like it was time for her to do so. She was a few months out until she started her tenth year of high school and with her playing soccer, she just didn't have time to run a whole library. However, Brianna would always remember that it was an option for her in the future. 

"Thank yo-" Brianna had began to show her praise for the offer from the Gerard vampire, but something instantly caught her attention from across the street. The Gilbert girl quickly gave Marcel a small smile and told him, "I'll be right back." Brianna then quickly jogged across the street after watching for any cars before she made her way towards the wooden bench, where she saw the familiar girl that is Davina reading a large old looking book. "Hey!" Brianna greeted the brunette teenager with a large grin once she came to a stop in front of the young girl.

The Claire girl jumped in her spot as she didn't hear anyone come up to her before she quickly pushed the grimoire closed and looked up. "Hey," Davina greeted the girl back that she had met at her mother's bookstore. "It's been a while," the brunette girl joked as she had been waiting for a message from Brianna since she promised a text message to hang out later.

Brianna's cheeks blushed beet red before she nervously removed her white baseball hat and run her fingers through her brown hair. "I am so sorry," the Gilbert girl apologized before she explained, "there's just been so much going on lately that I totally forgot to shoot you a text." Brianna had honestly forgotten about her promise until she saw the brunette beauty. She had planned on doing it when she got back to her hotel but with the vampire attack along with learning about them and learning about her parents, it totally slipped her mind. 

Davina shot the brunette teenager a large grin as she watched her ramble before she lightly waved her hand and told Brianna as she assured the Gilbert girl, "it's alright. Besides, you barely just got to New Orleans, so it's understandable." The Claire girl then unfolded her legs from how she was sitting on the bench as she didn't see why they couldn't do something before she wondered, "if you aren't busy right now, you wanna hang out?"

The Gilbert girl instantly nodded her head and uttered, "I'd like that," as she didn't have anything more planned for today since Marcel had showed her all of the locations that he wanted her to see. Brianna then held up her hand when she saw Davina was about to stand up and told her, "I'll be right back," before she swiftly jogged her way back across the road, where she saw Marcel leaning against an old building. "Hey," Brianna greeted the Gerard vampire once she was in front of him before she told him, "I'm going to hang out with this girl I met yesterday, so I'll just meet you back at the apartment in a couple of hours."

Marcel glanced between the brunette girl in front of him and the brunette girl across the street that he was very familiar with before he finally nodded his head. The Gerard vampire didn't trust any of the witches in New Orleans but he knew that Davina was an innocent one; for now anyway. "I'm going to have one my vampires following close by, though," Marcel mentioned to the human girl as he pulled out his cell phone to send a quick text message to Diego, "he won't bother you but he's there to keep you safe."

Brianna nodded her head in understanding as she knew Marcel was just trying to keep her safe thanks to the promise that he made to her parents. The Gilbert girl then gave Marcel a quick smile and turned around to head back to Davina but quickly came to a stop as a thought suddenly popped into her head as her mind was finally made with the thought that she had been thinking about since she learned about the creatures of the night. Brianna quickly turned around and called out to the Gerard vampire before he could leave, "hey! Marcel, wait!"

Once the Gerard vampire was facing her with a questioning expression and a raised eyebrow, Brianna jogged back up to the vampire and told him with complete certainty in her voice, "I've decided that I want to stay in New Orleans instead of going back to Mystic Falls." The brunette girl glanced at the culture around her before she continued with a small smile on her face, "this is my home and I think this where I should be." Brianna then nervously stared into Marcel's brown eyes as she asked, "so if you let me, do you mind if I stay with you until I find work and get my own place then I'll get out of your hair?"

A large grin lifted onto the Gerard vampire's face at the fact that his best friend's daughter wanted to stay here in her home - despite knowing about all the supernatural creatures and the true nature of her parents' death. _She is just like them,_ Marcel thought as either Justin nor Lauren ever gave up or were scared of anything like Brianna was showing. The Gerard vampire then shook his head with a heavy chuckle as he could hear the anxiousness in Brianna's voice before he assured the brunette girl, "you are always welcomed to stay with me as long as you want to."

Brianna couldn't help the small squeal that escaped through her lips before she murmured, "I'd really like that," as she was glad Marcel wasn't going to try to get rid of her. The Gerard vampire, ever since she met him at Rousseau's Bar, made her feel like home and that was such a comfort while learning all these life-changing things. The Gilbert girl then surprised herself and Marcel as she swiftly wrapped her arms tightly around Marcel's neck before she softly uttered, "thank you for everything that you've already done for me. Thank you for keeping me safe."

The Gerard vampire instantly wrapped his thick arms around the human girl's lower back before he softly told her, "of course. I'll always protect you." Marcel then broke their embrace and looked into Brianna's hazel eyes before he told her something that he hadn't mentioned before, "you are my God daughter and I will always keep you safe and protect you with my life like yours parents would have wanted for you."

The Gilbert girl's hazel irises slightly widened in shock at the fact that Marcel is her God father. She didn't even think that she would have one but she could understand why her parents would pick the Gerard vampire. Marcel had saved her life and her mother's which her father obviously honored for saving his family. Brianna could also see why Marcel is her God father by the very close relationship that he had with both of her mother and father by the stories Marcel had been mentioning today. He obviously cared for her and her parents, so it would only make sense for Marcel to be in charge of her life after their death - which resulted in her having a happy childhood with the Gilbert family.

Brianna gave Marcel a small smile before she offered an apology, "i'm sorry that you had to live through all of those old memories again. I can see that you cared and loved my parents and I could see that it had caused you pain today." The brunette girl then leaned up on her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss onto Marcel's cheek to show her gratitude for everything that he had done for her as she whispered one last time, "thank you," before she swiftly turned around and left a very shocked Marcel Gerard behind. 

The Gilbert girl looked up both ways, once again, before she crossed the street and jogged her way back to Davina, who had her book open again on the wooden bench while she read. "Alright, I'm back," Brianna exclaimed with a wide grin as she pushed away the sappy feelings that she just shared with Marcel.

The Claire girl gave the brunette teenager a small smile before her smile slowly diminished once she spotted a pair of familiar dark eyes from the way Brianna had came from. "Hey," Davina called out before she asked as she nodded her head towards the man, "who was that guy you were with?" The young girl knew it was the king of New Orleans and the leader of the vampire army but Davina wanted to see if Brianna was involved with Marcel as she knew that was definitely bad news.

A proud grin instantly lifted onto Brianna's lips as she knew who Davina was asking about before she stated with pride as she was happy to call Marcel by that name from everything that he has done for her, "that's my God father." Brianna watched as the Claire girl silently nodded her head before she downcast her eyes back to her book. The Gilbert girl grew curious as she had noticed some strange words and designs, so she wondered, "what are you reading?"

Davina's whole body anxiously and instantly froze in place at the brunette girl's question before she hurriedly closed the book and stuffed it into her large bag that was thrown over her shoulder. "I found it in the bookshop," the Claire girl lied and uttered, "I'm just using it to practice my Latin for school." Davina didn't know if Brianna knew about the supernatural, she probably did since she's Marcel's God daughter, but Davina didn't want to tell the brunette girl that she was witch as she felt normal around Brianna and she didn't want that feeling to disappear.

Brianna silently nodded her head as she bit down on her bottom lip while she made a mental note to ask Marcel if Davina is a witch. The Gilbert girl never met a witch before but the writing on Davina's book reminded her of an episode of Charmed, so she figured it would be best to ask Marcel since he obviously knows who's who in New Orleans. Brianna then quickly shot Davina a small smile as she decided to change the conversation so Davina didn't become wary of her. "I don't really know a lot of place here yet," Brianna stated before she wondered, "so, what did you want to do and can that place have food?"

Davina let out a real chuckle this time instead of the nervous one as she was happy that Brianna didn't continue to question her about her book like most people would. The Claire girl then stood up from her seat on the wooden bench and stated, "I know just the place," before she began to lead the brunette teenager down the street to one of her favorite spots for lunch. 

"So," Brianna began after a couple of minutes of her and Davina walking before she stated, "I've decided that I'm going to stay here in New Orleans for a while." The Gilbert girl glanced over at the girl beside her before she wondered, "what is your school like? Do they have a soccer program?" Brianna was curious if the high school that she would be going to would be anything like Mystic Falls High School or completely different.

Davina squeezed Brianna's lower arm with an excited grin as she exclaimed, "that is so cool! We'll be able to see each other a lot then." The Claire girl then turned the corner with Brianna following closely before she answered the brunette teenager's questions, "the school, KIPP Renaissance High, is about two and a half miles from the center of the French Quarter." Davina lightly shrugged her shoulders and stated, "it's a pretty large school and the teachers are all, for the most part, nice." The Claire girl then directed Brianna over towards the patio of the restaurant; Gumbo Shop before she told the brunette girl with a small pout, "but, sadly, we do not have a soccer program."

A frown instantly appeared on Brianna's face at the fact that her new school didn't have a soccer program like in Mystic Falls - where she was on the varsity team. Soccer had always been a big part of her life since she was six years old, so Brianna was saddened by the fact that her new school wouldn't have the sport. However, Brianna couldn't do anything to change it so she wondered, as she and Davina took a seat at a table, "well, what sports do you offer?" Brianna couldn't stand not having a sport to play as it was the only thing that she had ever known.

Davina handed Brianna one of the menus on the table as she thought of the sports her school has to offer before she listed them off, "we have basketball, softball, cross country, volleyball, and track and field." The Claire girl gave the brunette teenager a small smile as she offered Brianna an idea since she was set on soccer, "but we do have clubs for soccer. They meet a couple days a week and play."

Brianna silently nodded her head as she thought over her choices before she uttered with a small shrug, "I might pick up track and field."  _If I'm going to be hanging around vampires all the time now, I need to keep up my exercise and speed,_ the Gilbert girl thought as she knew it would be good for her in the long run. 

Brianna shot the Claire girl a small smile as she was glad to know the information about her new school before she picked up her menu to see what she wanted to eat. The Gilbert girl then immediately released a quiet moan when she saw what the name of the place was called. "You know just the right way to my heart," Brianna joked as she placed her right hand over her chest as she saw that they were at a gumbo place. "I love me some gumbo," the brunette girl explained to the grinning Davina.

"Hello, welcome to Gumbo Shop," a blonde waitress greeted the two teenagers once she walked up to the table before she pulled out her notepad and blue pen from her black apron. The woman, Stef, gave the two girls a bright smile before she politely asked, "what would y'all like to order this evening?"

Brianna let out a chuckle when Davina raised an eyebrow at her so she would order first before she gave the waitress a small smile. "I'll have a water and a bowl of the crawfish gumbo," the Gilbert girl ordered her food before she looked back at Davina with the same look that she had given her but with an added smirk. Brianna let out a quiet laugh when she felt Davina kick her leg before the Gilbert girl slowly moved her hazel eyes around the restaurant when the Claire girl began to order her food. 

However, Brianna felt herself freeze when she noticed someone watching her from across the street. The Gilbert girl twitched her head to the side as she watched the man with the curly brown hair and deep brown eyes staring right at her. Brianna then released a small sigh that she didn't know she was holding in when the man gave her small nod - which made Brianna realize that he was the vampire that Marcel mentioned that would be following her but wouldn't bother her. Brianna gave the vampire a small thankful nod back before she turned back to Davina when she heard the waitress say that their food would be ready shortly.

"So, Ms. Claire, what is it that you like to do?" Brianna wondered as she placed her hand onto the table and settled the side of her face into her palm with a small smile. The Gilbert girl wanted to spend the rest of her time today in getting to know the brunette beauty sitting across from her as she could already tell she and Davina are going to be great friends.

Davina playfully rolled her brown eyes at the way Brianna had asked her the normal question. She then placed her hands lightly on the table before she began with a small smile, "I love the arts and I love planting flowers and growing them." The planting thing really came with being a witch since witches are always in need of plants for their spells but Davina had always loved growing them as it was like she was bringing life into the world. 

Brianna's hazel eyes instantly sparkled with interest as she commented, "my brother is an artist as well." However, the brunette girl's eyes saddened by a little bit as she thought of her baby brother; Jeremy.  _I'm going to have to tell them I'm not coming back,_ Brianna realized as she forgot about that her choice to stay in New Orleans was going to affect them as well. Brianna quickly shook her head as she pushed that thought to the back of her mind before she shot Davina a smirk. "Will you paint me like one of your french girls?" The Gilbert girl teasingly wondered as she used the famous line from Titanic. 

"Oh, shut up," the Claire girl blushed as she shook her head. "I'm not that good, anyway," Davina dismissed the idea as she lightly waved her hand. The young witch never really thought she had been any good at drawing or painting since her mother always made sure that she was practicing her magic every free time that she got, so it wasn't like she had that much time to hone her craft.

"Oh, come on, Davina!" The Gilbert girl exclaimed before she stated, "everyone says that and they usually are these amazing artists that should be in museums." Brianna shot the shy Claire girl an assuring smile before she told her, "I want to see your work someday. I bet they are gorgeous." 

Davina nervously bit down on her bottom lip for a moment before she murmured, "we'll see." The Claire girl was honestly anxious to show anyone her artwork, besides Tim, so she hoped Brianna would forget her promise at a later day. Davina then decided to move the conversation off of her as she leaned back in her chair and wondered in the same tone as Brianna had used, "what is it that you like to do, Ms. Gilbert?"

Brianna let out a soft chuckle at the brunette girl in front of her before she explained, "you obviously know my obsession with soccer but I'm also a huge history buff." The Gilbert girl rolled her hazel eyes when she saw the shocked expression on Davina's face before she exclaimed, "yes, yes, I know. I'm such a nerd."

The two teenagers then both let out a loud laugh together just as their food was being delivered before they began to talk about the different areas of history that they enjoyed. Brianna and Davina spent the next twenty minutes talking about the twenties and the sixties - where the Gilbert girl instantly noticed how easily they were now speaking with each other. It was like they were old friend as they randomly moved from conversation to conversation about their best friends, Tim and Caroline, before they moved to telling each other embarrassing stories while they enjoyed their delicious Cajun food and the bright sun from the New Orleans sky. 

_I'm finally home,_ Brianna thought to herself as she and Davina laughed as the Claire girl told her the story of the time that she fell asleep while painting and went straight to school without realizing that she had red paint all over her face. The Gilbert girl felt, in that moment with her new friend, that she belonged in New Orleans. _There is no other place I would rather be,_ Brianna thought with a wide grin spread across her lips as she felt safe, protected, and herself with the help of her God father, who had cared for her the second that she had arrived in New Orleans. It was like she finally found the missing piece in her life. 


	6. CHAPTER 5

Brianna released a small sigh as she stared at all of the gifts that she had bought two days ago for her family and friends back in Mystic Falls, Virginia on her king sized bed in her new bedroom at Marcel's apartment. The Gilbert girl had finally stopped procrastinating and decided to mail the items since she was having a calm morning and she had no exact plan for the day. Brianna also decided to add a small note with each gift since she wouldn't be going home anytime soon after she chose to stay in New Orleans for the time being.

So, Brianna grabbed the gift closest to her, after she had her goal for the day set, which happened to be the book that the Gilbert girl had bought for Caroline. Brianna then grabbed the small box that she had found around the apartment and placed Gone With The Wild inside before she grabbed the notebook in her lap and began to write the note to her best friend ~

         _Care Bear,_

_I hope you like your gift. I know you've always wanted the original copy of your favorite story, so I knew I had to get it for you. I know this doesn't make up for leaving without saying goodbye but I hope this helps. I miss and love you so much, Care Bear. You are my best friend and my partner in crime. But I have some bad news, babe. I'm not going to come back to Mystic Falls anytime soon. I think I'm going to go through Sophomore year here in New Orleans. I'm finally feeling closer to my biological parents, so I hope you understand why I need to stay here. But I just want to tell you that I love you and I'll see you soon._

_Love, Brianna._

A small smile lifted onto Brianna's lips as she sealed up her best friend's gift, who was like a second sister, before she moved onto the next gift that was for her aunt Jenna. The Gilbert girl carefully folded up the three different colored scarves in a plastic wrap and placed them inside of a thin box before she began on the second note for the strawberry blonde woman ~

_Aunt Jenna,_

_I know you love your scarves, so I hope you'll use these a lot since I know you probably already worn out your other ones. (lol). How are you doing? How are your classes going? I know we haven't talked since my first day here in New Orleans but I hope you are doing okay. Don't let the kiddos tire you out, Jenna. ;) Anyways, I would rather do this over the phone and I know you'll be calling once you get this, but I've come to the decision to stay here in New Orleans. I know you will understand - unlike some people. Marcel took me to some places where my parents used to go to and it made me feel that much more connected to them and I feel like I need to stay here. I'm not sure how long I will stay, though. I was thinking about going to school here, so I'll see how it goes and let you know. I'll explain more when we talk on Skype soon. I love you. Take care._

_Love, Brianna._

"I am so getting yelled at for doing this over a letter," the Gilbert girl mumbled to herself as she placed the note and sealed up the gift for her aunt Jenna. Brianna honestly would rather do it on the phone but she felt like she would end up chickening out as she didn't want to disappoint her caring aunt. However, Brianna felt like Jenna would be the one to get that this is something that she needs to do since Jenna knew all along about her adoption and had let her leave Mystic Falls without much of a fight.

Brianna stacked up the two gifts for Caroline and Jenna before she grabbed another small box and grabbed the next gift that happened to be for her sister's best friend; Bonnie Bennett. The brunette girl then folded the dark jean jacket that she had bought into plastic wrap like she did with her aunt's scarves before she only added a small note since she and Bonnie weren't exactly close or even friends ~

_Bonnie,_

_I know you like these types of clothes, so I hope you like the jacket. It'll look cute with that red sundress that you like to wear. Anyways, I just want to thank you for taking care of Elena when I can't be there for her. It means a lot to me. I know she's struggling with the lost of our parents, so thanks, Bennett._

_Brianna._

The Gilbert girl followed the same process again like she was in a toy factory as she placed the note into the box and sealed it up before she stacked it onto the other two boxes. Brianna then moved to the next gift that was for the youngest Gilbert. However, this time, Brianna knew she had to be careful with the vinyl record, so she wrapped the boxed up Nirvana album in multiple plastic wraps and carefully placed it inside of the box before she moved on to her next note ~

_Jer,_

_Hey, baby brother. Everything is going to be okay. I know you don't feel like it will be, but I know everything will be alright. You have a cloud over your head right now but it's going to get better. If you ever need to talk and don't feel like Jenna or Elena will understand, my phone is always open for you. If you wanna just complain about Mr. Tanner or Tyler, I'll be there. I'm not coming home yet but I'm here for you and I love you, Jer._

                                                                                                                                                                 _Love, Brianna._

"Now, the hard one," Brianna mumbled to herself after she had finished sealing her brother's gift as she stared down at the purple journal in her lap that was for her sister. The brunette girl hadn't really spoken to Elena since she left Mystic Falls except for two text messages. Brianna knew Elena didn't get why she was all the way in Louisiana, but Brianna hoped her letter would help Elena understand, so Brianna opened up her sister's new journal and began to write on the first page ~

         _Dear Lee,_

_Long time, no talk. Ugh, that was stupid... Anyways, I know you're pissed at me for leaving but I just wish you would pick up the phone. I miss my sister. I know I didn't exactly give you guys a heads up before I left but this was just something I needed to do. You wouldn't understand since you always felt like you belonged in Mystic Falls with your real parents. But there has always been a piece of my heart that just never felt full but after these last couple of days of learning about my biological parents and the place I was born in, I can finally feel whole. This is where I belong. I don't know when I'll come back but I hope you can forgive me, Lee. I hate not being able to talk to you and I hate us fighting, so please give me a call. I love you with all my heart and you will always be my sister._

_Love, Bree._

Brianna folded up the front cover of the purple journal with a small sigh once she signed her name. She just wished that Elena would understand that this is something that she needs to do. She knew that everyone back in Mystic Falls were struggling in their own way, but Brianna had to be selfish. She would always love and miss Miranda and Grayson, but she deserved to know about her biological parents and staying here in New Orleans was her way of staying close to them. Brianna just hoped Elena will come to understand in the future. She and Elena had always had a close relationship growing up, despite how different they were, so it made Brianna ache to know that Elena still wasn't talking to her. Brianna just prayed that her small note would make Elena pick up the phone.

The Gilbert girl wrapped up the last gift into another small box after she pushed away her sad thoughts before she jumped off the comfortable bed and walked into the large closet. Brianna then grabbed a large bag that she had found in town last night before she placed each of the items inside. The brunette girl placed the bag full of gifts for her family and friends on her bed before Brianna quickly got changed in a pair of pale cut off jean shorts with a lightweight tan striped top. Brianna tucked her shirt lightly into her shorts and slipped on a pair of gold sandals before she grabbed her bag of gifts along with her cell phone and headed out the door for the day.

Brianna silently walked down the staircase of the apartment in the French Quarter before she glanced around her surroundings to find her Godfather. However, when Brianna couldn't find him in the kitchen or the living room, she figured Marcel was in his office. The Gerard vampire had gave Brianna a tour of her new home last night, so she knew exactly where she was going as she walked down the left hallway and headed towards the last door on the right. 

Brianna lightly knocked her knuckles against the cherry oak door before she slowly opened it up when she heard Marcel murmur a quiet, "come in," and peaked her head inside of the vampire's office. The Gilbert girl gave her Godfather a small smile as a greeting before she told him, "hey, I'm heading down to the post office to drop off some things." It was a rule that Marcel had Brianna follow - that she would always let him know if she was leaving the apartment. Brianna knew it was for her safety since she was a human in a very supernatural town, so she didn't really mind. 

However, just as the Gilbert girl turned around to leave after she told Marcel where she was going, the Gerard vampire swiftly called out to her, "wait a second." Marcel stood up from his desk and walked around to lean against it before he told Brianna once she fully walked into his office, "I can compel someone to do that for you."

The Gerard vampire had been thinking all morning about how to make sure Brianna stays safe in New Orleans since she wasn't going back to Virginia. Marcel knew that Diego, who is currently Brianna's bodyguard, would protect her but there could be vampires that didn't know about his relation to Brianna, so Marcel wanted to set the record straight. The Gerard vampire had sent out a message to his army only an hour ago, so everyone would know that Brianna was not to be touched and Marcel wanted Brianna to be there, too. 

"Oh, no. It's fine. I can do it," Brianna told the Gerard vampire as she lightly waved her hand to show that she didn't mind going herself. The brunette girl then lifted up her shoulders in a shrugging motion before she told Marcel, "I was going to walk around town for a bit, anyways." Brianna wanted to explore her hometown some more now that she planned to stay for a while.

"Actually," Marcel began as he straightened his body off of his desk and stood in front of the human girl with his arms crossed over his dark Henley before he told Brianna the reason for why he would get someone to deliver her things to the post office, "there is some people I want you to meet today."

The Gilbert girl instantly furrowed her brows at Marcel's statement as she didn't realize that there was any important people to meet in New Orleans besides the people that knew her parents like himself, Joe, and Mrs. Rollins. However, by the serious look on Marcel's face, Brianna decided to humor him as she really didn't have anything better to do. She could always explore her hometown at a later date, so the brunette girl gave the Gerard vampire a small smile and murmured, "alright. I'm in."

Marcel shot the human girl a wide and shining smile before he tossed his arm over Brianna's shoulder and led her out of his office and out of the apartment. The vampire and the human girl then headed down the street of the French Quarter for a few short minutes as they both just enjoyed the warm morning in New Orleans before Marcel pulled them to a stop in front of an old three story building. 

"Welcome to The Abattoir," the Gerard vampire exclaimed as he turned towards Brianna with his arms widely spread with pride all throughout his body. "If you can't find me at the apartment then I will probably be here at the compound," Marcel explained to the human girl as this was the place that he most frequented while ruling over New Orleans. "This is where all the magic happens," the Gerard vampire uttered with a smirk before he noticed a human walking by which caused him to pause. Marcel then grabbed Brianna's bag from her shoulder before he swiftly compelled the human, "take this to the post office and mail these right away."

Once the compelled human followed his orders and turned in the direction of the post office, Marcel walked back over to Brianna with his bright smile and slung his arm over her shoulder before he began to lead the brunette girl into the compound. Marcel walked through all of his awaiting vampires and directed Brianna up the staircase before he pulled the human girl to a stop in the middle of the second layer of the compound as if they were on a stage. 

Marcel released his hold on Brianna and took a few steps forward until his hands were resting on the banister while he looked over his vampires before he loudly cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Thank you all for showing up on short notice but I have a serious matter that needs everyone's attention," the Gerard vampire began before he turned his body to the right and pointed towards the silent and confused human girl. "This is Brianna Gilbert," Marcel introduced the brunette as she came to stand beside him before he told his army of vampires, "and she is my Goddaughter."

Brianna nervously bit down on her bottom lip as whispers instantly began to go through the compound between the vampires. The Gilbert girl honestly didn't understand why Marcel was doing this. She would think it would be best to lay low around the supernatural community but apparently Marcel had the total opposite idea. 

Marcel placed his hand onto Brianna's shoulder and squeezed her warm skin to calm her nerves that he could feel screaming out of her body before he spoke loudly to his vampires, "I want everyone to remember this beautiful face because it is everyone's job to keep her safe and she is also off limits for feeding." Marcel glared down at the vampires with his hard brown eyes to show how serious he is before he continued, "Brianna is to be protected from our enemies and anyone who tries to mess with her. If my Goddaughter is injured in anyway, I will make your death very slow and painful."

The Gerard vampire let his threat sink into his vampires for a moment before he turned his brown irises down to the girl beside him to tell her something that Brianna didn't know about. Marcel had came to the decision to have a leadership for her since Brianna being involved with him is very dangerous and this way he knows she will be protected no matter what. "Brianna will join my side as the Princess of New Orleans," the Gerard vampire announced to his army and to the human girl.

_I didn't see that one coming,_ Brianna thought as her hazel eyes widened in surprise. She was honestly shocked that Marcel was going through all this for her. Brianna didn't think she would be involved in all this supernatural crap. She thought that she would just go to school and grow closer to her parents. But, no. Brianna was now a heir to New Orleans and she didn't even know what the hell that meant.

"You can't really expect us to take orders from a human," a dark haired vampire, Doris, loudly growled out with distaste and annoyance ringing throughout her voice as she stared up at the girl with her hardened brown eyes. 

Marcel glared down at the vampire that is always giving him trouble before he told her and the rest of the vampires in the compound, "I do and you will. If you don't then you can join your brother in The Garden." The Gerard vampire watched as Doris let out a snarl and pushed herself into the shadows before Marcel loudly interrogated, "does anyone else have a problem?"

The Gerard vampire waited for a few tense minutes for someone else to disagree with his decision before he told his vampires the rules that come with their Princess, "no? Good. Now, like I was saying, Brianna is the Princess of New Orleans and I expect her to be treated as such. If she needs something, I expect you to give her whatever she wants and if she gives you an order, you do it." Marcel glanced at each vampire in the compound before he asked with a hint of challenge in his voice, "is that clear?"

There was instantly the distinct sound of the vampires on the lower level of the compound mumbling in agreement as none of them wanted to feel Marcel's wrath before the Gerard vampire loudly clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "I'm glad we understand each other. Meeting adjourned." 

The King of New Orleans silently watched as his army either went further into the compound or walked out the door before Marcel turned around and faced Brianna with his signature bright and cocky smile. The Gerard vampire murmured, "come on," before he placed his hand onto Brianna's lower back and led her down the hallway to his office, where Marcel immediately recognized Thierry waiting against the door.

Marcel gave the blue eyed vampire a small nod of his head as he knew Thierry was waiting on him because of some business in the Quarter before he unlocked the door of his office and allowed Brianna to enter before he and Thierry followed soon after. The Gerard vampire walked around his desk as he introduced Brianna to the vampire, "this is Thierry Vanchure, my second hand man."

Brianna gave the familiar vampire a small smile before she mentioned, "I saw him when I was at Joe's place the other day." The Gilbert girl remembered that while she was at the record shop and was speaking to the Dalton vampire that Thierry had walked in before Joe had followed him into the back.

"It's nice to officially meet you, Brianna," the Vanchure vampire greeted the human girl as he stretched out his arm and shook Brianna's warm hand. Thierry then shot, Marcel, his old friend a swift smirk before he teasingly commented as Marcel had spoke a lot about the human girl these past few days, "I've heard so much about the Princess of New Orleans from the old man."

Marcel rolled his brown eyes at the younger vampire but didn't comment on it. Instead, Marcel faced Brianna with a serious expression and told her, "if for some reason I am not around to help you or I'm not answering my phone, then I want you to call Thierry. He'll come help you." The Gerard vampire usually would joke around with Thierry but today was about securing Brianna's safety for her stay in New Orleans. Marcel then held out his hand and nodded his head down to the human girl's cell phone before it was handed over to him and he swiftly typed in Thierry's number as one of his guarantees of keeping Brianna safe.

The Vanchure vampire waited until Marcel handed the human girl her cell phone back after entering his number before Thierry mentioned why he had waited for Marcel to speak after the short announcement, "there is a witch in the French Quarter that requires your attention."

"Of course they want something," Marcel muttered with annoyance in his voice as he was tired of having to deal with the witches every single day. The Gerard vampire then gave Thierry a small nod as he needed to do his job as the King of New Orleans before he told the Vanchure vampire, "I'll be down in a minute."

The office in the compound was silent for a moment or two until Thierry shut the door behind him before Brianna faced the Gerard vampire with confusion shining all over her face. "Is this what you wanted me to see?" The Gilbert girl inquired as she crossed her arms over her striped top, "to meet your vampires?" Brianna shook her head before Marcel could even answer as her thoughts were all over the place from the last fifteen minutes before she mumbled, "I just don't understand why you would go through all this trouble over me. I don't really think it's necessary to basically make me heir to your kingdom."

The Gerard vampire gave the confused human girl a small smile before he explained why he went through introducing her to the vampire community of New Orleans, "I made a promise to your parents to keep you safe. They never wanted you to have to worry about the dangers in your life but with you deciding to stay here in New Orleans, I had to make sure that you would be safe. The vampires here like to feed on tourists, so now that they know who you are, then you can live freely without worrying about a thing like Justin and Lauren would have wanted." 

Brianna silently nodded her head as she knew how important it has been for Marcel to fulfill her parents' wish like making sure that she is safe. However, there was one thing that confused Brianna about this whole ordeal. "I get why you would want to tell your vampires about me, but I just don't understand why you had to make me the 'Princess' of New Orleans," the human girl commented as she used her fingers when she spoke the word Princess before she inquired, "what was the reason for that?"

Marcel reached across from his seat on top of his desk and squeezed the human girl's hand before he softly uttered, "this is your home, too, Anna, and you deserve to feel safe in it." The Gerard vampire's usual smirk then swiftly lifted up onto his lips before he exclaimed, "I'm the King of New Orleans and as my Goddaughter it is only right for you to be the Princess of New Orleans." Marcel's brown eyes instantly turned deadly serious as he told Brianna with complete certainty in his voice, "I know my army of vampires will protect their Princess when it comes down to it and that's all I want for you." The Gerard vampire shook his head before he explained why he ultimately announced Brianna as a heir to New Orleans, "we have enemies all around Louisiana and I need to make sure you are protected and safe like your parents would have wanted."

A proud and cocky smile widely stretched across Marcel's face after he finished speaking of the important matter of the human girl's safety and relaxed his muscles now that he got away from that serious speech. The Gerard vampire then stood up straight before he walked up to Brianna and directed her to the window that showed the courtyard which was filled with his soldiers. "So, now that you are officially the Princess of New Orleans, my vampire army is now yours as well and this is our kingdom," Marcel told the human girl as he peered down at their army with his boastful smile still locked on his lips.

Brianna glanced down through the window at all of the vampires for a moment as she tried to accept all of Marcel's strong words before she turned to the side so she was looking up at the Gerard vampire's face. "So, uh, what are my duties as Princess of the kingdom?" The Gilbert girl curiously inquired as she tried to understand what all this meant. It was a lot to take in for Brianna when just yesterday she was learning about her biological parents and now she was suppose to be a heir to her hometown.

Marcel leaned against the sill of his large window and crossed his arms over his dark Henley before he told the human girl, "I originally was going to give you the title to make sure you stay safe here in New Orleans, but I've come to realize just how strong you are." Marcel let out a small chuckle before he stated, "I mean, you accepted everything you've learned these last few days with ease and that shows how much you can handle." The Gerard vampire then rubbed his hands together like an evil genius villain before he explained, "but now that I know you can thrive here, I want you to be my second in command. I know you might not understand it, but once I teach you how everything works around here and you get comfortable with your rolls, I want you to make your own choices. If you want our army to do something or the witches are causing problems then you can direct our army the way you see fit."

Marcel lightly waved his hand when he say the nervousness rolling off of the human girl before he assured her, "but don't worry about that just yet. In the next couple of days, I'll start getting you ready for your roll as Princess of New Orleans." The Gerard vampire gave Brianna a small smile before he concluded, "you can relax for now, Anna. You just need to know our army will protect you until you've had your training in battle and other things."

Brianna couldn't help but widen her hazel eyes at all of this talk of her duties as Princess of New Orleans.  _Training in battle? What the hell,_ the Gilbert girl thought as she was definitely not expecting any of that.  _Am I supposed to learn to fight vampires? Is that even possible?_ Brianna continued with her running thoughts before she quickly tried to turn them off. Marcel told her to not worry about it right now, so Brianna took a deep breath and pushed them to the back of her mind like the true procrastinator she was.

Instead, Brianna decided to focus on the fact that an army of vampires would be protecting her during her stay in New Orleans. It actually made Brianna feel better since she was very human around all of these creatures like vampires and witches - except of the wolves since they are in the Bayou and Brianna didn't plan on ever going there.

It was also a lot to take in for Brianna with the fact that she was basically a heir to New Orleans. It was like her life was changing a lot in a short amount of time. Brianna had originally just wanted to feel whole and feel connected to her biological parents when she drove to Louisiana after her adopted parents' funeral. However, now, Brianna knew the existence of the vampires, witches, and werewolves along with the fact that she would be in charge of the aforementioned supernatural creatures with her vampire Godfather. 

It was absolutely crazy for a human but Brianna wasn't just some normal human, though. She took in everything without ever backing down, so she didn't plan on letting her new role in New Orleans frighten her. Brianna wanted to understand it and do what she was meant to do now that she planned on staying here. So, the Gilbert girl took a deep breath as she accepted her new fate before she walked up to Marcel and pulled him into tight hug that was becoming more frequent. "Thanks again for keeping me safe," Brianna praised into their embrace before she commented, "I know you are doing it for my parents but it means a lot."

Marcel protectively wrapped his arms tightly around the human girl's shoulders and cradled Brianna's head with his left hand while he held her close with a small but sincere smile playing on his lips. "You're my girl," the Gerard vampire quickly murmured as he disagreed with the fact that he only keeps her safe because of Justin and Lauren before he told Brianna, "I knew I wanted to protect you the second I held you after you were born and that's not going to stop anytime soon."

The King and the Princess of New Orleans stayed in that position inside of the office at the compound for a few silent and calm minutes as they both absorbed the other's warmth before Marcel pulled away and placed his hands on top of Brianna's shoulders. "Alright, now that we have that all settled," Marcel began before he stated, "I do have some rules that I need you to follow now that you are permanently staying in New Orleans." The Gerard vampire gave the human girl an assuring look before he told her, "I know our army will protect their Princess at any costs unless they want to end up tortured or dead but if you follow these two simple rules then it will definitely keep me at ease to know you're being careful and safe."

Brianna instantly released a small puff of air as she crossed her arms over her striped top at the vampire's statement. The human girl wasn't really someone that likes to follow rules or orders from anyone. Brianna hated doing that back in Mystic Falls as she had always been a natural born leader and her own person. However, the brunette girl decided to humor her Godfather to see what he has to say, so Brianna nodded her head and mumbled, "fine, lay it on me."

Marcel gave the human girl a small grin before he removed his hands from Brianna's shoulders and began his rules, "you are not to be alone at any costs - especially at night." The Gerard vampire shook his head before he explained, "after the sun goes down, that is when the vampires go hunting on the tourists like I mentioned." Marcel then silently walked around the office as he commented, "I don't want you to be mistaken as one of them in the dark, so no late night strolls through the Quarter unless I am with you or someone I trust."

The Gerard vampire watched the human girl silently nod her head before Marcel clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "I just need you to promise me one last thing." Marcel then stared deeply into Brianna's hazel eyes as he requested with complete seriousness in his voice, "I need you to never ever go out to the Bayou." The brown eyed vampire knew he already told Brianna about the wolves in the Bayou but he needed to make sure that she stayed away from there. Marcel didn't need Brianna finding out about her wolf side, so he was at least going to protect that secret that he promised to Justin and Lauren Labonair. 

"I can do that," the Gilbert girl affirmed to Marcel's rules as it wasn't that difficult. Brianna was basically already doing that since yesterday when Marcel had Diego follow her around like a bodyguard when she went out with Davina and when she had walked home from the Gumbo Shop. Marcel's second rule didn't really affect Brianna, though, as she didn't plan on ever going to the Bayou as she figured the werewolves are pretty damn dangerous if they aren't even allowed in the French Quarter. However, Brianna was curious to why the wolves were in the Bayou in the first place and why she should stay away, so she voiced her puzzlement as she asked, "so, what is the reason behind the whole Bayou ordeal and why should I stay away?"

The Gerard vampire released a small sigh as he hated that Brianna was so much like her parents since she wasn't just going to listen to him without there being a reason behind it. If Brianna was anything like Justin and Lauren then she wouldn't give up, so Marcel decided to just tell the human girl the short version as he explained, "it was about a few decades ago. The witches and the werewolves teamed up together to take New Orleans from me. But when I found out, I had them punished by sending the werewolves to the Bayou and by not allowing the witches to perform magic."

Marcel gave the human girl a moment to understand the history of the werewolves in New Orleans before he answered Brianna's second question, "and for the reason why you shouldn't go to the Bayou is because there is no reason for you to go there." The Gerard vampire shrugged his shoulders as he commented, "I, personally, don't even go there. The werewolves don't have business in New Orleans anymore except to waste away for their betrayal." Marcel then moved to stand in front of Brianna before he questioned, "so, do we have a deal? No nightly strolls and no Bayou visits, right?"

Brianna instantly nodded her head in agreement and muttered, "you got it," as she just wanted to understand why Marcel had banned the werewolves and why she shouldn't visit the Bayou. Brianna honestly didn't even want to go to the Bayou nor did she have a need to go there. Brianna figured Marcel has some type of spell locking the werewolves in the Bayou, so she knew that she didn't have to worry about them while ruling next to the King of New Orleans. 

Marcel released a loud sigh of relief after Brianna agreed to stay away from the Bayou and murmured, "alright, good." The Gerard vampire didn't know how it really works for dormant werewolves, if they feel a connection to packs, but Marcel wanted to make sure Brianna wouldn't find out about that side of her so he was glad that Brianna wasn't even tempted to go there. The Gerard vampire then uttered with annoyance, "now, if you would excuse me, I have some business to handle with the witches," before Marcel pulled the human girl into a hug and promised, "but I will see you at dinner."

Brianna instantly brought her arms around Marcel's back and muttered in acceptance, "I'll see you tonight." The Gerard vampire then pulled away from her after a moment or two of their tight embrace and kissed the human girl's forehead before Brianna watched as her Godfather smoothly walked out of the office and left her alone to handle his duty of King of New Orleans.

The Gilbert girl couldn't help but let out a sigh once the room was overcome by complete silence. Brianna felt like she could finally think clearly about what happened here at the compound in the last hour. Brianna's head was just still reeling over the fact that she is now the Princess of New Orleans and she has her own army of vampires. It was just surprising when Brianna had planned on just having a lazy day in after dropping off the packages at the post office. But no, that isn't how her day was going as she was now a heir to the supernatural world in her hometown.

However, Brianna didn't freak out like she usually would if she was still in Mystic Falls or in the dark about vampires, werewolves, and witches. Instead, the Gilbert girl just took it with stride like she had been doing since she arrived in New Orleans with all of these revelations as she took a deep breath before she strutted out of Marcel's office with confidence.

Brianna silently walked down the long hallway of the second story of the compound before her curiousness got the better of her and she began to explore each room. The Gilbert girl knew that she would be spending a lot of her time at the compound since it was like Marcel's kingdom, so Brianna decided to get familiar with the large building. 

The Princess of New Orleans stayed in the shadows as she glanced into different rooms and spots. Brianna soon came to realize after looking through each door of the long hallway that had Marcel's office that they were all basically the same. The rooms were just offices with large wooden desks and supply closets along with one large room that was like for conferences by the round and long table in the center.  _They are very official,_ Brianna couldn't help but think with a shake of her head as the hallway was like one in a law firm or a Government agency.

_Boring,_ the Gilbert girl thought as she moved away from the long and business-like hallway and continued to stroll through the second layer of the compound. However, though, as Brianna was turning the corner to see what else was in the compound, she accidentally ran right into a hard body. "Ah, shit," Brianna swore as she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead from running into a wall-like figure.

"Oh, that was my bad," the wall-like figure that happened to be a seventeen-year-old vampire mumbled as he watched the human girl that he recognized from Marcel's announcement. The vampire waited until Brianna opened her eyes before he gave her a polite smile before he asked, "you okay?"

Brianna dusted off the invisible dirt from her striped top with a huff before she mumbled, "I think I'm all good." The Gilbert girl then glanced up to see who she ran into before she noticed a male teenager, who was probably the same age as she was, with deep brown eyes and short brunette hair. 

The young vampire released a small breath as he was glad that he didn't harm the human girl as he didn't want to find out what Marcel would do to him. "I'm Lucas Galvez," the young vampire then quickly introduced himself as he held out his hand with a friendly smile to the Princess of New Orleans.

Brianna wrapped her warm fingers around the teenager's hand with a small smile as his was so contagious before the human girl also introduced herself, even though she figured the teenager already knew who she was if he's been in the compound in the last hour, "I'm Brianna Gilbert."

Lucas shot the human girl a wide grin and uttered, "I know." The young vampire then cleared his throat at how stalkerish that sounded before he wondered as he stood next to Brianna instead of in the middle of the hallway, "so, what are you doing up here?" Lucas nodded his head towards the staircase as he commented, "I thought you would have went with Marcel to deal with the witches."

The Gilbert girl instantly shook her head as she denied his assumption before she uttered with a light wave of her hand, "oh, no. I don't have any Princess duties yet." Brianna then glanced around their surroundings in the compound before she explained, "I was just trying to get familiar with this large place."

Lucas let out a small chuckle as he nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, this place can be pretty big until you get used to it," the young vampire stated as he also looked around the compound that was bustling with his fellow vampires before he looked back at the human girl and assured her with his signature smile, "but it'll start feeling like home soon enough."

Brianna looked into the teenage vampire's brown eyes with interest shining through her hazel ones. "So, would that mean you know your way around here?" The Gilbert girl inquired with hope in her voice. Brianna wanted to know where the hell she was going in this building, so she hoped Lucas was familiar with the place. The last thing Brianna wanted was to get lost when she was supposed to lead a bunch of vampires as their Princess.

"Yeah," Lucas uttered as he affirmed Brianna's silent hopes that he was familiar with The Abattoir before the young vampire explained how he knew his way around the large compound, "I've been coming here everyday for the last four years so I know all about the different rooms, hiding spots, and secret passageways."

Brianna's mood instantly lifted with a small smile now that she knew that the friendly vampire knew his way around the compound. "Do you think you can show me around?" The Gilbert girl wondered as she figured it was worth a shot to ask someone that has only been kind. "I don't think it would look good if the Princess didn't know her way around her own kingdom," Brianna uttered jokingly with a smirk playing on her lips. 

Lucas let out a loud chuckle as he shook his head at the human girl's humor about her current situation. He could see that Brianna was trying to get used to her roll at the compound and Lucas could understand that with being a new vampire having to follow rules from Marcel. The Galvez vampire then fanned out his hand in front of him as he stared at the human girl with a bright grin before he exclaimed in the same joking matter that Brianna had used, "it would be an absolute honor to show the Princess around." 

Brianna let out a heartfelt laugh as she stared across at the teenage vampire with amusement in her hazel eyes. The Gilbert girl could tell that she and Lucas were going to be friends by the fact that he wasn't treating her badly because she was human or scared or because she was the Goddaughter of the King. She felt like Lucas is an easy going vampire and Brianna liked that she would have someone to joke around with in the compound.

The vampire and the human girl then headed towards the direction that Brianna had originally wanted to go before she had ran into Lucas once they were in agreement. The two teenagers walked in silence as they walked away from the long hallway before Lucas began once they reached the area Brianna had never been to. "If you will look on your left, you will see the many empty bedrooms," the Galvez vampire exclaimed like he was a tour director on a cruise ship, which caused the two teenagers to laugh, before he opened one of the doors. 

"This is Marcel's bedroom whenever he stays here," Lucas explained briefly before he closed the door as no one was allowed in the King's room and moved onto the next one. The Galvez vampire lightly touched the door knob and told Brianna, "we aren't supposed to be in here, but I'll give you a quick peek," before Lucas opened the door and showed the curious human girl.

Brianna glanced over the young vampire's shoulder as she looked into the room before she instantly furrowed her brows. It was definitely a bedroom that belonged to a girl but it looked like it hasn't been used in centuries. Brianna took that guess since everything looked very old like every item belonged in the early nineteen hundreds.

"I'm not really sure who's room it is," Lucas muttered once he closed the bedroom door and moved on down the hallway with the human girl beside him. "All I know is that it's off limits to everyone," the young vampire mumbled with a shrug of his shoulders before he continued with his tour. "This one and the door at the very end," Lucas began as he pointed to the door that they were in front of before he stated, "these are the bathrooms." The Galvez vampire then pointed to all of the other doors that he hadn't touched before he explained, "these all are just bedrooms. They are mostly empty. We just sometimes crash in them if we need to."

Brianna silently nodded her head as she glanced around her surroundings in the long hallway that had at least eight different bedrooms along with the two bathrooms.  _It's like a boarding house or something,_ the human girl thought as there was a lot of bedrooms in the compound. 

Lucas walked Brianna down the rest of the hallway as he uttered with a wave of his hand, "this area is just like the housing area of The Abattoir." The young vampire then led the human girl up another set of stairs towards the third and final layer of the compound. "There's a couple of bedrooms up here as well," Lucas commented, "but they are much bigger with the doors that lead to the balconies." Lucas walked around the upper layer of the compound as he continued his tour before he stopped in the main part which was a open space with couches and chairs, "this is usually just used as a lounge."

"What about downstairs?" Brianna curiously wondered as she walked around the opened space and moved along the bar that filled with every single alcohol that she could think of. "Is downstairs just bedrooms, too?" The Gilbert girl inquired as she didn't really get the chance to look around the first level of the compound since Marcel immediately pulled her up the stairs when they had arrived.

Lucas shook his head before he explained, "downstairs is like any normal house. It has a large kitchen in the far North of the downstairs part of the compound. There's a small library to the very right side of the double staircase and a living room to the far left." The young vampire then silently opened up a set of glass doors and allowed Brianna to enter before he continued to speak about the first level, "Marcel usually has that part of the compound for parties or balls when he invites the community of New Orleans."

Brianna was barely listening to the young vampire at this point as her hazel eyes were locked on all of the books in the room that Lucas had brought her in. "Wow," the Gilbert girl mumbled as she ran her fingers on the spine of the books with a look of awe on her face from all of the decades' old titles. Brianna had always loved reading and books in general, so the human girl was basically in love right now. 

The Galvez vampire learned against the wall with a small smile as he watched the human girl explore on her own for a few silent minutes before he decided to interrupt the tranquility. "This place has books from all the way back in the earlier seventeen hundreds," Lucas mentioned as he glanced around the large library.

_I know where I'll be hiding when I'm here,_ Brianna thought with a grin as she took one last look at all of the literature that held so much history before she followed after the young vampire out of the room to continue with the tour of the third layer of The Abattoir. 

Lucas pointed at the double doors beside of the library as he uttered, "this room just has a bunch of old paintings." The young vampire shrugged his shoulders as he commented, "but no one around here paints, so I guess they are all from back in the day." Lucas honestly didn't know why Marcel even had an art studio since the King doesn't draw or paint. It was just another mystery to him. 

Brianna took a quick glance into the large room while Lucas began to walk away and noticed that it wasn't like an art museum. There was so many different paintings from landscapes to abstract designs lining up every inch of the wall and every inch of the covered furniture. There was almost no where to walk without running or stepping on a canvas.  _Marcel must have kept all of these from someone important,_ Brianna guessed if they were just collecting dust in here instead of being shown around the compound.

"Now," the Galvez vampire began as he clapped his hands together while he shot the human girl a large grin before he stated, "let me show you the best spot in the whole compound." Lucas then walked back into the lounge area with Brianna following behind before he headed towards the four doors that were made of glass and opened up one of the two sets. The young vampire walked through the doors on the third level of The Abattoir before he led Brianna out onto the long balcony that overlooks the large courtyard.

"The Balcony wraps around the whole compound, so you can see all different areas of New Orleans," the Galvez vampire told the human girl before he glanced down at the courtyard over the black railing, where all of his fellow vampires were hanging around. "Marcel has this all set up when there's a big dinner or someone important is in town," Lucas informed Brianna as he remembered the few times the courtyard had been decked out with decorations and a large dinning room table in the place where the patio tables and couches were currently sitting. 

Brianna leaned against the railing and looked down at the lower level while she tried to picture the fancy setting instead of all the vampires just lying around on patio style furniture. _It's nice, though_ , Brianna commented to herself as she could see why there was so many vampires here at the compound as it was like one big house full of blood sucking people. It wasn't as scary as Brianna had first imagined being surrounded by all these vampires. Well, not since Lucas had took her around the compound which helped calm her nerves.

However, the Gilbert girl was still a tad bit anxious as she knew that not all the vampires were a fan of her like from the announcement and the female vampire that had tried to argue with Marcel's choice. It was like the vampire knew Brianna was thinking about her because as Brianna was looking at all of the vampires, a certain dark haired supernatural being glared up at the human girl with her dark eyes. 

Brianna stared right back at the vampire with a twitch of her head before the dark haired supernatural being swiftly vamp sped out of the courtyard. The human girl was frightened by the vampire but she wasn't going to show that out in the open when she was supposed to be in charge of these vampires with Marcel. Instead, she acted like her normal confident and strong self before she turned and faced Lucas with a small smirk. "So, it seems that not everyone is happy I'm here," Brianna commented with a small chuckle as she leaned against the railing of the balcony.

Lucas immediately rolled his brown eyes when he realized who the human girl was talking about. "Doris is always like that," the Galvez vampire commented before he told Brianna, "just ignored her. She's always causing problems." Lucas then shot the Gilbert girl a small smile before he explained what everyone else was feeling after the announcement of their Princess, "most of them are just nervous that Marcel brought someone in for the first time and the others aren't exactly confident that a human can take charge - no offense."

Brianna lightly waved her right hand as she wasn't in the slightest bit offended as she pretty much expected that to happen. "Honestly, I don't even know if I can do this," the human girl mumbled before she exclaimed, "but one thing you'll learn about me is that I never give up." Brianna shrugged her shoulders as she uttered, "Marcel believes that I'm right for the job, so I guess I'm just gonna have to prove all your little friends wrong."

Lucas grinned across at the human girl before he told her as he raised his hands in the air like an innocent person, "oh, I'm totally on your side with this." The Galvez vampire teasingly bumped his hip with Brianna's as he walked up to the railing and commented, "I'm always a sucker for an underdog."

Brianna let out a heavy chuckle as she rolled her hazel eyes at the vampire next to her before she mumbled, "good to know." The human girl and the teenage vampire then stood there in silence for a few minutes as they listened to the bustling morning in the French Quarter before Brianna curiously looked over at Lucas and asked, "so, what's your story? How did you end up in Marcel's army?"

The Galvez vampire stood there in silence for a moment as he absorbed the heat of the sun before he turned his body to the side to look at the human girl. "It happened four years ago," Lucas began to tell how he was turned, "I was leaving a party for a beer run with my brother and the next thing I know a truck was t-boning us." The Galvez vampire took a deep breath as he remembered that day before he continued, "and I guess Marcel was close by because I'm not really sure what happened next. I only remember waking up here and being recruited into Marcel's army."

Brianna's hazel eyes widened slightly and mumbled, "wow." She should of known someone's turning would be brutal but it was still shocking to hear Lucas tell his story. Brianna could see the sadness in the vampire's eyes, though, so she figured his brother didn't make it. Brianna was honestly tired of death so she decided to move the conversation as she asked, "so, what do you do as a vampire? Do you still go to school?"

Lucas let out a heavy chuckle as he nodded his head. "Yes, I still go to school," the Galvez vampire answered with amusement in his voice before he explained, "but we don't really have to since the whole city of New Orleans knows about vampires but I enjoy going since I've always loved playing sports since I was younger."

The Gilbert girl's interest was instantly peaked at the topic of sports as that had been her whole life while growing up in Mystic Falls. It was the one thing that she has always loved and that had kept her out of trouble with drugs, guys, and girls - well, for the most part. "What sports are you into?" Brianna inquired as she stared up at Lucas as she was curious if she and the vampire had something in common. 

Lucas barely even had to think for a second before he began to list off all the sports that had taken up his days before and after he was turned into a vampire, "I play basketball, baseball, a little tennis, and soccer." The Galvez vampire then shook his head with a small frown before he mumbled, "but I don't get to play soccer that much since my school doesn't have a program, so I usually just enlist some of the younger vampires around here for matches."

_That sounds awfully familiar,_ the human girl thought as she remembered having a conversation like this with Davina at Gumbo Shop.  _It could just be a coincidence,_ Brianna added in her head before she decided to see if it really was one. "I didn't catch the name of your school," Brianna muttered before she inquired with a raised eyebrow, "which one do you go to?"

The Galvez vampire furrowed his brows while he stared over at the human girl in confusion. "I go to KIPP Renaissance High a few miles away," Lucas slowly answered Brianna's question as he didn't understand how they went to talking about sports to school before he lifted one of his brows and curiously wondered, "why?"

A large grin immediately lifted onto Brianna's lips as she exclaimed in excitement, "oh, my God! That's amazing!" The human girl quickly shook her head with embarrassment from her squeal of going to school with the vampire before she explained, "that's where I'll be going when school starts back up." Brianna's grin brightened on her face once again as she uttered, "I've been in love with soccer since I was a toddler. I was on the varsity team back in Virginia."

The Galvez vampire's brown eyes slightly widened in surprise as he didn't take Princess of New Orleans as a soccer player. "Seriously?" Lucas wondered before he curiously inquired with interest running throughout his voice as he never could find anyone around the city that was into soccer as much as he was, "what position do you play?"

"I play forward," Brianna answered the young vampire's question with a proud smile adoring her lips. The Gilbert girl was always proud when she spoke of her soccer career as she broke many records at Mystic Falls High School along with the fact that she was the youngest girl on the varsity team. The competitive part of Brianna was instantly sparked now that she knew Lucas was a soccer player as she had an idea before she faced the vampire and exclaimed, "we should pick up a game."

A smirk slowly lifted onto the Galvez vampire's face while he stared at the human girl with amusement in his brown eyes when he heard the competitiveness in the Princess of New Orleans's voice. "Are you sure you can keep up with a vampire?" Lucas teased as he bumped his hip with Brianna's as he taunted her.

Brianna squinted her hazel eyes at the smirking vampire before she exclaimed with her hands on her hips, "oh, you just uttered the wrong words to the wrong person, Galvez." The Gilbert girl then swiftly moved away from the railing of the balcony and straightened her body before she commanded, "let's go. We're playing a match right now." Brianna was never one to back down from a challenge and she wasn't going to start now just because Lucas is a vampire as she was determined to prove him wrong.

"You are so on, Gilbert," the young vampire immediately exclaimed with his own competitiveness cutting into his voice. Lucas then straightened his body as well and took a threatening step towards the human girl before he whispered with a smirk widely displayed on his face, "be prepared to lose, Princess."

Brianna rolled her hazel eyes like the vampire's thought of beating her was completely preposterous before she exclaimed with her own taunting and cocky attitude, "get ready to be embarrassed by a human." The vampire and the human then stared at one another for a moment as they tried to imitate each other before the teenagers swiftly headed back into the compound to figure out who was the better soccer player. 

The Gilbert girl couldn't help but feel excited as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail while she and Lucas hurriedly walked down the two staircases at the compound as Brianna couldn't wait to play soccer for the first time in months. Brianna would be playing soon if she was staying back in Mystic Falls, so she was bubbling with energy to finally have the black and white ball in her possession.

It also brightened the Gilbert girl's mood here in New Orleans after she learned that she would be Princess of New Orleans since she made a friend in one of the vampires that was in hers and Marcel's army. It was definitely a plus that Lucas was just as competitive as she was in soccer and had been nothing but kind to her. Brianna felt that having a friendly face like Lucas was going to make her new duties in her hometown that much more easier to handle as Brianna could see her and Lucas being great friends in the future and Brianna knew she was going to need that confidence when there is dozens of vampire waiting for her to fail.  

* * *

**FAULKNER HOUSE BOOKS**

It was about three in the afternoon when the Gilbert girl found herself walking down the familiar street to the bookstore that she had first visited on her second day here in New Orleans. Brianna had hung out with her new friend, Lucas Galvez, for a few hours as well as played a few matches of soccer - which they ultimately tied on. It was such a thrill for Brianna to play soccer again, despite the fact that she didn't exactly win, as it made her feel normal for awhile.

However, now Brianna was on her way to hang out with the first friend that she gained in her hometown; Davina Claire. She knew the brunette girl was at work since they had been texting back and forth throughout the day, so Brianna decided surprise Davina as the Claire girl had been complaining to her about being bored.

It only took a few minutes of the human girl walking down the streets of New Orleans before she arrived at Faulkner House Books from the park that Brianna and Lucas had been at during the last couple of hours. The Gilbert girl grabbed the glass door of the establishment once she arrived and allowed an older woman to exit before she entered the bookstore and began her search for the Claire girl.

 Brianna looked around the bookstore for a few minutes when she couldn't find Davina behind the register before she finally spotted the brunette beauty putting books back into the correct places. The Gilbert girl grinned at the huffing Davina before she leaned her body against the bookcase and called out to her, "hey, there."

The Claire girl instantly jumped at the close voice - which instantly caused her to drop the book that she holding onto the ground. "Crap," Davina mumbled before she quickly picked it up and placed it onto the cart. The brunette teenager then twirled around as she pushed a portion of her hair behind her left ear before she wondered as she stared at Brianna in surprise, "what are you doing here?"

Brianna crossed her arms over her striped top as she stared at the flustered girl with a small smirk against the bookcase before she exclaimed, "I'm breaking you out of here, Ms. Claire." The human girl figured that she could save Davina from her boredom for a little while since the bookstore wasn't exactly busy with customers. 

Davina immediately shook her head in disagreement before she picked up the book that she had dropped and placed it back into the right place in the  _'L'_ section instead of where she found it against the  _'W'_ section of the bookstore. "I can't just leave work," the Claire girl mumbled as she pushed the cart of books down to the next aisle to keep herself busy. 

Brianna pouted as she thought this would be easy to convince Davina to leave work for a little bit to have fun before she quickly followed after the fast walking girl. "Oh, come on," the Gilbert girl pouted as she leaned against the bookcase next to Davina, who was placing a book into the right place. Brianna waited until Davina looked up at her before she put on her best puppy dog eyes and tried to persuade the Claire girl, "I'll have you back in under an hour. No one will even notice that you were gone."

Davina bit down on her bottom lip as she stared into the brunette girl's hazel eyes while she thought over the idea of leaving. The Claire girl knew her mom wouldn't be back until five to get the place ready to be locked down, so Davina knew she wouldn't get in trouble for not running the store.  _I am pretty bored,_ Davina thought,  _and I'd really like to hang out with Brianna again._ "Alright, fine," the Claire girl told Brianna as she finally convinced herself to go, "I'm in." Davina then pointed her finger at the brunette girl with her brown eyes squinted before she ordered, "but no longer than an hour."

Brianna shot the Claire girl a wide grin as she knew she would be able to corrupt the innocent girl to breaking the rules for a little bit. The Gilbert girl nodded her head in agreement with Davina's orders before she lifted up three fingers and teased, "scout's honor." Brianna then swiftly grabbed Davina's hand and pulled her down the aisle of books and towards the exit of the bookstore before the Claire girl could change her mind.

"Wait!" Davina quickly yelped, like Brianna had feared, before she swiftly pulled her hand out of the Gilbert girl's warm embrace and jogged her way back into the store just as they had exited it. The Claire girl jogged behind the counter of the cashier and grabbed her keys before Davina walked back outside and locked the door. Davina then put up the  _'Be Back Soon'_ sign before she faced Brianna with a small smile and exclaimed, "alright, we can go now."

The Gilbert girl couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the innocent girl. who was obviously worried about leaving the bookstore, as it was quite cute in Brianna's opinion. Once Brianna saw that Davina was all ready, the human girl held out her hand with her puppy dog face again so they could leave the bookstore and do something fun.

Davina rolled her brown eyes at the brunette girl with not a single ounce of annoyance in her body. The Claire girl was just amused by Brianna's carefree attitude that seems to just brighten her mood before she linked her fingers with Brianna's hand. It felt absolutely normal for the Claire girl to do that and Davina wouldn't lie and say she didn't enjoy the warmth of Brianna's fingers against her knuckles.

Brianna shot the Claire girl a wide grin and squeezed her hand before the Gilbert girl began to pull Davina away from the bookstore and down the streets of New Orleans. The Gilbert girl didn't really have a plan after she would convince Davina to leave work, so Brianna was basically winging it as she enjoyed the sun and the Jazz music while they walked.

"So, where exactly are you taking me?" The curious Claire girl wondered as she took a quick glance over at Brianna after about fifteen minutes of them walking down the street and passing all of the familiar shops that Davina had seen her entire life.

Brianna lightly shrugged her shoulders as she glanced around their surroundings for anything fun to do. The human girl then glanced over at Davina with a small smirk before she answered the Claire girl's question with not an exact answer since Brianna wasn't that all familiar with New Orleans just yet, "I honestly have no clue where I'm going."

The Claire girl released a loud groan and threw her head back into the air as that was not what she wanted to hear. "You are so unprepared, Bee," Davina complained in a mumble. The young witch was just nervous that she wouldn't be back in time. The last thing that Davina wanted to deal with is her mom's yelling because she wasn't taking care of the bookstore. She would never hear the end of it.

Brianna bumped her hip with the anxious Claire girl's while a teasing smirk played on Brianna's lips before she assured Davina, "don't you worry your gorgeous head, Dee. I'll have you back soon." The Gilbert girl couldn't help but immediately chuckle lowly when she saw the blush reach Davina's cheeks before something instantly caught her attention before she could tease the brunette beauty. 

_Perfect,_ the Gilbert girl thought when she noticed an almost empty small children's park across the street along with a truck selling snow cones. _It'll be fun and a cold treat is perfect for the warm weather of New Orleans_ , Brianna realized as that was what Davina needed from her boring day at the bookstore. So, the human girl shot Davina a quick grin as she tightened her grip on the Claire girl's hand before Brianna dragged Davina across the road while carefully dodging cars along the way.

The Gilbert girl and the Claire witch jogged their way through the busy street and across to the children's park before Brianna finally pulled Davina to a stop in front of the blue snow cone truck. Brianna stared up at all of the different kinds of snow cones before she looked over to Davina and wondered with a grin, "what flavor would you like?"

However, the Claire girl didn't even hear a word that Brianna was saying as she had her head bent over with her hands resting on her knees while she tried to get control of her breathing. "I really need to start working out more," Davina mumbled in exhaustion as she felt like she just ran five miles.

Brianna watched the brunette beauty with amusement in her hazel eyes at Davina's exaggeration as they barely went that far. The Gilbert girl then lightly shrugged her shoulders before she shot the Claire girl a smirk and smoothly uttered, "I don't think you have anything to worry about. You have a pretty nice body, Dee." 

A bright blush immediately worked its way onto the Claire girl's face at the easy compliment from the brunette girl. However, Davina was just too embarrassed to respond to Brianna's comment, so she avoided looking into the Gilbert girl's sparkling hazel eyes as she looked at the board on the snow cone truck before she quietly mumbled, "I'll take the bubble gum."

Brianna couldn't help but smirk as she watched Davina completely ignore her compliment. She knew that she made Davina nervous when she was flirting with her and Brianna absolutely loved it because it showed just how innocent and pure the Claire girl really is. Brianna, however, decided to not tease Davina about it as she wanted Davina to feel relaxed with her. Instead, Brianna only uttered, "one bubble gum coming right up." 

The Gilbert girl walked up to the blue snow cone truck and ordered Davina's flavor of choice which was bubble gum before Brianna ordered her own snow cone which was the flavor of black cherry. Brianna then payed for their cold treats and gave the older man a kind smile before she walked back over to Davina and handed the brunette beauty her snow cone.

"Thank you," the Claire girl praised with a small smile as she grabbed the white cup that was filled with bright pink flavoring over the shaved ice. Davina then took a small bite of the treat with a large grin as she loved the coldness of the snow cone on a hot summer day in New Orleans. "So, is this what you had in mind when you kidnapped me?" The brunette girl wondered with a hint of joking in her voice after she had taken a few more bites of her bubble gum snow cone.

Brianna let out a heavy laugh and playfully bumped her hip into Davina's before she exclaimed, "oh, please. Don't act like you didn't want to leave." The Gilbert girl pointed at the brunette beauty as she furthered her argument, "you've been texting me all day by how bored you were at work."

Davina rolled her brown eyes as Brianna basically brought out the receipts on her before she mumbled to defend herself, "maybe I was just venting." The Claire girl was actually happy that Brianna had showed up and convinced her to leave for a while as she felt like she was going to go stir crazy in the bookstore. Davina hated when her mom would make her work during the summer because she never got anytime to hang out or do something fun.

Brianna shook her head with a chuckle and mumbled, "whatever you say, Dee," before she linked her unoccupied arm that wasn't holding her snow cone and locked it through the Claire girl's limb before Brianna pulled her towards a wooden table that was close by. Once they reached the table, Brianna released Davina and took a seat on one side while Davina took the seat directly across from her. 

The two teenage girls then sat there in calm silence for a few minutes as they enjoyed their snow cones and the warmth from the sun on their skin before Brianna looked across at the Claire girl with interest in her hazel eyes as she wanted to know more about the girl that was not like anyone she has ever met. Davina was just so innocent unlike all the other people that Brianna usually hangs out with. Brianna is usually friends with drug users, jocks, players, and anything in between but Davina was just so different that Brianna couldn't help but want to be close to her.

"How is your day going, Ms. Claire?" The human girl wondered with a twitch of her head along with a small smile playing on her lips after a few minutes had passed by and Brianna had just watched the calm and relaxed features of the witch's face. 

Davina glanced up from her snow cone that she was enjoying before she commented with her own small smile, "it's better now." The Claire girl then began to explain her day when Brianna rose an eyebrow at her to continue, "my mom has just been working me too hard with running the store when she's gone, which is almost everyday, and with all of the Latin practice for school." Davina had fibbed a small lie as she wasn't taking a Latin class but it was actually her family's grimoire for her magic training. However, Davina decided to keep that a secret as long as she could as she didn't want Brianna to see her as a freak - despite the fact that Brianna's Godfather is a vampire.

Brianna frowned as she stared across at the Claire girl as she didn't like that Davina was stressed out when she was supposed to be enjoying her summer like any normal teenager. The Gilbert girl then shot Davina a serious expression before she inquired with a hint of humor, "do you need me to beat her up for you?"

Davina let out an amused giggle as she threw her head back towards the bright sky at the idea of Brianna beating up her mom. "No, no," the Claire girl quickly uttered with a giggle still throughout her voice before she stated with a small shrug of her shoulders, "I'll be fine. It's only a few more months until school starts so I don't have to be stuck at the store all day."

"If you won't let me beat her up," Brianna began with a playful pout before she suggested with a raised eyebrow, "how about I stop by everyday during your lunch break so you won't be so bored?" 

A bright and innocent grin immediately lifted onto Davina's pink covered lips as she absolutely loved that idea. It would save Davina from cursing her mom from the torturous hours at the old bookstore. "That would be amazing!" The Claire girl gushed before she told Brianna so the plan could actually happen, "my lunch break is usually around one until one forty-five."

Brianna took a small bite out of her black cherry snow cone before she shot Davina her own grin. "It's a date, then," the Gilbert girl confirmed her suggestion as she didn't really have anything to do in New Orleans until school started or until Marcel gave her some duties as Princess of New Orleans. 

Davina flushed slightly at the Gilbert girl's words but she knew Brianna didn't mean an actual date since Brianna didn't have a smirk and she sounded absolutely genuine. However, Davina wouldn't lie and say she didn't like the idea but she decided to push that feeling away as she focused back onto Brianna. "So, how has your day been?" The Claire girl curiously wondered as she placed the side of her face into her palm.

Brianna lightly shrugged her shoulders as she commented, "it's been pretty normal. I just mailed some gifts to my family and friends back in Virginia before I went to The Abattoir to visit with Marcel." The Gilbert girl then took a bite out of her cold treat before she added as she remembered, "oh, yeah. I met a friend, Lucas, for a soccer match before I came to see you."  

Davina moved her brown eyes down to her snow cone at Brianna's words as she still felt weird to know the Gilbert girl was involved with the King of New Orleans. She was always taught by her mom to never trust vampires, so it just made Davina nervous and anxious. However, Davina didn't know if Brianna knew the truth, so she pushed that running thought to the back of her mind until she could gain the courage to bring it up. Instead, Davina wondered as she heard the familiar name, "are you talking about Lucas Galvez?"

Brianna instantly nodded her head before she realized that Davina might know him since they do go to the same school and are around the same age. "Are you familiar with him?" The Gilbert girl inquired as Brianna was curious to see if her two new friends are associated with each other. 

"Yeah, I've known him since first grade," Davina commented as she used to be close to the male teenager when she was younger. However, when Lucas was turned into a vampire a few years back, they just stopped talking. Davina never knew why but they just drifted apart but they do run into each other sometimes and they always greet each other. "We'll probably have classes with him when we start school in a few months. He's actually the one that started the soccer club on campus," Davina stated as she took another bite of her snow cone.

Brianna grinned as she was glad that she would get to spend time with Lucas outside of the compound along with Davina.  _Maybe we can all hang out,_ the Gilbert girl thought as she decided to see how that goes once they are all in the same building in a few months. "Speaking of school," Brianna began now that they were talking about that before she stated and wondered, "you mentioned the teachers are pretty nice but what is it like?"

Davina took a bite out of her bubble gum snow cone as she thought about her high school for a moment before she answered Brianna's question with a chuckle, "it's like any other school." The Claire girl then shot Brianna a small smile before she uttered as she listed off everything that she could remember, "we have a good education system with a high graduation rate. We, uh, are big on sports. We've won a lot of championships from the track and field team along with the basketball team."

"Except for soccer," Brianna mumbled stubbornly as she really wanted her new school to have a soccer team. The sport had been her life since forever, so it sucked for the Gilbert girl that she wouldn't be able to continue that in her hometown. 

Davina shook her head with a soft chuckle at the human girl that was still sulking over the fact that there was no soccer team like she did when they were at Gumbo Shop. The Claire girl then thought of an idea as she swiftly gripped Brianna's hand and exclaimed, "when we start class, you should make an appeal to the principal. I will even help and I know Lucas will, too!"

 Brianna's hazel eyes softened as she stared across at Davina before she murmured, "you are a Godsend, Dee." The Gilbert girl honestly hadn't even thought about that and it just proved Brianna's point even more about how pure and innocent the Claire girl is to want to help her. It meant a lot to Brianna, too, since it was Grayson Gilbert, her adopted father, who helped her with soccer when she was a toddler so it always made Brianna feel close to him.

Davina waved her hand with a slight blush on her cheeks before she mumbled, "oh, it's nothing. I'm just happy to help." The Claire girl could see how much the sport meant to Brianna, so she just wanted to fix the issue. Davina didn't really understand sports but she would gladly help if it would make Brianna's high school experience better at her new school.

Brianna squeezed the Claire girl's hand with a grateful smile on her face to show her gratitude before she pulled away and took another bite out of her snow cone. The Gilbert girl didn't like getting all sappy with her feelings, so she decided to change the conversation as Brianna asked Davina to get to know more about the witch with a hint of humor in her voice, "alright, time to get serious now. What is your all time favorite movie?"

The Claire girl couldn't help but roll her brown eyes as she thought Brianna was going to ask something actually serious like about the supernatural. However, Davina was glad that it was simple as her favorite movie as she didn't want to ruin the situation that they had by talking about that part of New Orleans. The brunette girl then began to think with her finger tapping against her chin before her brown eyes widened. "Oh!" Davina gaped as she knew the right answer before she gushed, "I have to say my all time favorite has to be The Notebo-"

However, before the Claire girl could completely answer the human girl's question, Brianna took the chance while Davina was busy explaining her favorite movie by reaching across the wooden table before she stole a quick bite from the brunette beauty's bright pink snow cone as Brianna couldn't help herself since it just looked so good.

Davina had instantly caught the human girl stealing from her as she wasn't blind and Brianna wasn't being that smooth with her smirk displayed across her lips. "Hey!" The Claire girl couldn't help but yelp in surprise as she watched Brianna eat the big spoonful of her bubble gum snow cone. 

Brianna shot the Claire girl an innocent smile before she lightly shrugged her shoulders as she dropped her innocent act after a few seconds. "What?" The Gilbert girl pouted before she explained herself, "I just wanted a taste." Brianna then immediately rolled her hazel eyes with a chuckle when Davina sent her a pout before she decided to make up for it. So, the brunette girl scooped some of her own snow cone before she held it in front of Davina as she uttered, "here, then we'll be even."

The Claire girl couldn't help the small smile that lifted onto her lips as she had tried to act like she was mad before she playfully rolled her brown eyes as if she was annoyed. Davina then wrapped her lips around the plastic spoon as she accepted Brianna's truce before she ate the black cherry snow cone. "Mmm, so good," the Claire girl complimented once she swallowed the sweet treat. However, when Davina opened her eyes and saw Brianna was staring at her, Davina rose an eyebrow and anxiously asked, "what? What is it?"

Brianna shook her head with a small chuckle at the nervous girl before she told Davina the reason why she was staring at her, "you have a little black cherry on your face."

A blush immediately rushed onto the Claire girl's cheeks before she quickly began to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand as she tried to find out where she had the dark colored liquid on her face. "Is it gone?" Davina asked once she thought she had got rid of the stain as she removed her hand and allowed Brianna to look at her appearance. 

Brianna let out another chuckle and muttered, "nope." The Gilbert girl then watched as Davina continued to completely miss it before she leaned her body over the wooden table and stated, "let me get it." Once Davina moved her hand once again, Brianna cupped the side of the Claire girl's face before she slowly wiped her thumb across Davina's bottom lip and took away the dark liquid. The Gilbert girl shot the blushing Davina a small, teasing smirk and brought her thumb to her lips and licked off the tasty treat before she murmured, "bubble gum and black cherry is a nice combo."

Davina couldn't help but stare across at Brianna in complete shock.  _That was so hot,_ the Claire girl thought before she quickly pushed that thought away. Instead, Davina awkwardly scratched the back of her neck as she tried to get rid of the blush running down her whole body before she decided that she needed to get up. "I'm going to throw this away," Davina uttered an excuse before she swiftly stood up from the table and walked away with her snow cone. 

Brianna watched as the Claire girl quickly walked away with a smirk shining brightly across her lips while she leaned her body against the wooden table. The Gilbert girl knew, as she stared across at Davina, what her new favorite game is -   _'how long does it take for me to make Davina Claire blush.'_

Brianna actually loved hanging around with Davina - despite all the teasing she had done to the innocent girl. She just helped the Gilbert girl feel normal and relaxed. Davina was like a rainbow after a bad storm. Brianna's life was slowly becoming hectic with knowing about the supernatural and being the Princess but with Davina, she felt like she could just be herself and didn't have to worry about all the things happening around her.

Brianna was so lost in her thoughts about the Claire girl, that she didn't even hear the aforementioned teenager walk back up to her before Davina spoke up. "Hey, I, uh, should probably get back to the store," the Claire girl uttered as she had realized while she was throwing away her trash that they already spent over thirty-seven minutes together. 

The Gilbert girl stood up from the wooden table with a large pout on her lips before she begged, "just a little longer, Dee." Brianna didn't want their day to end just yet, so she linked her fingers with Davina's before the Claire girl could argue and pulled her through the children's park. Brianna didn't know where she was going for a few minutes before she pulled them to a stop in front of a set of swings.

The two teenagers then silently got onto their own swings and began to lazily move their body up in the air as they both stared up at the fading sun and the light orange and pink colors. It was both calming for Brianna and Davina to just absorb the other's presence while they watched the beautiful colors in the sky.

 "So, do you have any plans for after high school?" Brianna curiously wondered after twelve minutes of tranquility had passed between them as she found herself more intrigued by Davina by the second. It was a feeling that Brianna had never felt for any girl or guy in her entire life. Brianna didn't really like relationships but Davina was certainly making Brianna rethink that.

Davina leaned her head against the chain of her swing as she stared up at the sky while she thought of her answer. "I always wanted to be an artist in some fancy and exotic country," the Claire girl quietly murmured with a soft smile playing on her lips, "I know it's probably useless to think that I'll ever get out of New Orleans and get to draw for these big museums but it's always been a dream of mine."

Brianna shot the Claire girl a soft smile and uttered, "that's really nice." She could definitely picture Davina in some place in Europe with her own art gallery. The Gilbert girl then swiftly pointed her finger at Davina with a teasing grin as she remembered a previous conversation before she exclaimed, "I'm still waiting to see some of your beautiful artwork." 

The Claire girl playfully rolled her brown eyes as she wished Brianna would just forget about that already before she uttered the same thing she did when Brianna had first asked to see her artwork, "we'll see." Davina then quickly asked to move the conversation away from her artwork, "what about you? What do you plan to do after high school?" The Claire girl twitched her head to the side as she remembered what Brianna had mentioned before she continued her questioning, "are you going to do something involved with history or soccer?"

Brianna bit down on her bottom lip for a moment as she never really thought about after high school. She just loved to play soccer, so that's why she always kept her grades up along with her interest in social studies but she never put much thought into what she would do after. It wasn't like there was a lot of careers for someone interested in history. "I'm not really sure," Brianna finally confessed as she was coming up empty. 

"Really?" The Claire girl wondered with her brows furrowed in surprise. Davina had just thought that Brianna was someone that had her future all put together by how invested she was into soccer and her passion for history. 

Brianna nodded her head before she recalled, "but I do have an idea of something that I could do after high school." The Claire girl lifted an eyebrow before Brianna began to explain, "Marcel took me to some places my biological parents worked at and went to when they were alive and Marcel said that the library my dad built is mine whenever I want it." A soft smile lifted onto Brianna's face as she remembered the place before she murmured, "it's gorgeous. I fell in love with it when I saw all the old books and beautiful architecture, so if I plan to stay in New Orleans, I really think that's where my life will be."

"That's really sweet," Davina softly murmured before she stated, "it's like you'll be keeping their memory alive." The Claire girl, once again, was surprised by Brianna. It was just a very sweet and a kind act that Davina didn't see coming from the cocky and flirty teenage girl. It just showed Davina that there was more than what was showing on the outside of the attractive girl.

Brianna shot Davina a small smile as she completely agreed. The Gilbert girl did think about owning the library in the future when Marcel had offered it to her, but now talking to Davina about her career after high school, Brianna realized it would be the perfect fit for her - if she does decide to stay in New Orleans. It would allow Brianna to stay close to her biological parents like she has wanted and there was so much history in those books.  _I could even hire someone to work in my mother's kitchen as well,_ Brianna thought as she was becoming more welcomed to the idea the more she thought about it. 

"Ah, crap!" The Claire girl mumbled once a calm silence had settled between her and Brianna and after she had glanced down at the silver watch on her thin wrist. "I need to get back to work before my mom comes back," Davina exclaimed as she was already twenty minutes late from the time her mom was supposed to be back at the store before she swiftly stood up from the swing.

Brianna pouted a little bit as she wanted to stay longer or forever with Davina but the Gilbert girl knew she made a promise and Brianna didn't want to break it, so she jumped off of the swing while it was in the air. The Gilbert girl then jogged over to the Claire girl and told her as she nodded her head towards the street, "alright, let me get you back."

The two teenage girls then linked their hands together like it was second natural before they ran through the children's park, across the street, and down the long strip of stores as they raced back to the bookstore as fast as they could since they had stayed out longer than they had originally planned. 

Davina released a heavy sigh once they came to a stop in front of the door of the bookstore and leaned against her knees, once again, as she tried to gain her breathing back. Once the Claire girl could finally breathe, she unlinked herself from Brianna before she walked up to the door to unlock it. However, when Davina turned the knob, she let out a groan when she saw it was unlocked. "I'm screwed," the Claire girl mumbled as she knew that she was about to be in trouble.

"Not alone you're not," Brianna instantly assured the anxious Claire girl before she linked her arm through Davina's. The human girl gave the brunette beauty a small smile before she opened the door of the bookstore and walked Davina into the establishment. Brianna couldn't let Davina face her mom alone when it was her fault that she was in trouble to begin with.

However, the first thing that the teenage girls could hear as soon as they entered the bookstore was yelling. "Why the hell do we stay open if no one is here to work!" Davina's mom screamed from the backroom while there was sounds of heavy books and other items being tossed around from obvious anger.

"I hope you don't get in too much trouble," Brianna uttered as she squeezed Davina's arm before she released her. The Gilbert girl felt bad that Davina was going to get in trouble because Brianna took up her time at the park when she should have been at the bookstore working.

Davina lightly waved her hand with a small smile before she uttered, "it's fine. She's always like that." The Claire girl then grew nervous and anxious, so she crossed her arms over her chest to offer her some comfort before she confessed in a quiet voice, "besides, I don't regret it. I had a lot of fun today." 

A wide grin immediately lifted onto Brianna's lips as she uttered, "good. I'm glad." The Gilbert girl then nodded her head towards the backroom and teased, "I'll let you get back to work and good luck with your mom." Brianna pointed her finger towards the front door of the bookstore as she uttered, "I would stay but I have to meet Marcel soon for dinner."

Davina couldn't help but frown, once again, at the mention of the King of New Orleans. Marcel just made her nervous because he is a vampire and wasn't friendly with the witches. However, Davina didn't comment on it, though, as she knew Brianna could react in two ways. She would either think that she was a supernatural being or Brianna would think she's crazy and Davina didn't want either of those things to happen since she felt like a normal teenager around Brianna. So, instead of mentioning the terrorizing vampire of New Orleans, the Claire girl only gave Brianna a small nod before she uttered, "I'll see you tomorrow for our lunch date, Bee."

The Gilbert girl gave Davina a single nod of her head as she silently promised that she would here at one in the afternoon for their daily date away from boredom. Brianna then turned around to leave before she swiftly changed herself mind and twirled back around. The human girl surprised the brunette beauty as she placed a quick kiss onto Davina's cheek and uttered with a smirk, "I'll see you later, Dee," before she turned around and left the bookstore. 

Brianna honestly had surprised her own self by her action. She usually would already have Davina in her bed but the Claire girl was different, so she only left a kiss on the cheek. The Gilbert girl could feel herself feeling something for Davina by just the beginning of their friendship. It was something Brianna just knew by how she was herself around Davina. It was like Brianna could be free while with the Claire girl and Davina just made all her worries about her vampire army and her duties as the Princess of New Orleans wash away and Brianna felt like she definitely needed someone like that in her life.


End file.
